Category: sustainability
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Can our closet wars help us to select our sustainability battles!
I love this chart! It was produced using Globaldata research and is now more than 5 years old. It predicted what types of retailer our fashion wardrobe would be bought from, up to the year 2028. As we stand here in 2025 we can now see how accurate the predications were. Even if we consider…
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“Shein don’t Cheat, they Compete!” – Discuss…
in assortment structure planning, ethical retailing, fabrics, fashion, fast fashion, internationalisation, ladies fashion, meaning in the retail madness, product development, product suppliers, pureplay, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, social savvy, supply-chains, sustainability, value retailingAnd then suddenly from the Shein silence, the non-communication with government committees, potential shareholders and the general public, we have Peter Pernot-Day, Shein’s head of strategic and corporate affairs in North America, the UK and Europe, speaking to delegates at Retail Week’s Live 2025 conference. Firstly, thank you to Retail Week for sharing his speech…
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Is your brand worth repairing, renewing, & re-selling to your customer?
On a recent tour of central London stores with some retail clients, they were amazed at how many brands offer repair services and are moving to ‘products for life’ mentalities. Finisterre, not for the first time, stands out as best practice in the world of product repairs. Firstly it offers the customer videos and manuals…
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Finisterre: Owning a responsibility to protect and share the ocean.
in branding & visual communication, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, fabrics, in-store services, leisure & sport, meaning in the retail madness, pre-loved, product development, re-sell, recycling, renting, retail, retail brand heritage, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, secondhand, shop of the future, store experience, store theatre, supply-chains, sustainabilitySome brands sell products, whilst others sell passions. And in this consumer world of over-supply and product fatigue it finally seems that customers are being drawn to companies that were never really meant to be retailers at all. To call them ‘accidental retailers’ is really not fair, because in most cases they have developed assortments…
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To achieve the ‘Healthier Planet’ we crave, will we all need to suffer an ‘Unhealthier Economy?’
in disruptive retail, ethical retailing, fast fashion, high street planning, ladies fashion, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, pre-loved, product suppliers, re-sell, recycling, retail, retail businesses, retail organisations, retail strategy, secondhand, supply-chains, sustainability, town centre planningSustainability must mean less consumption. But should we be very careful about what we wish for? The results from Primark for the recent period, including the ‘golden quarter of Christmas, show a 6% slump in like-for-like sales in the UK. Primark has explained that this has been caused by fragile customer confidence and the wider…
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Will it be complex evidence or trusted witnesses that change the verdict of fast-fashion consumers?
So, it’s been a week when Shein has never been far from the news. Firstly with a pitiful account of itself in front of the government committee, and then the fallout and discussions on why customers shop with them, will they continue to shop with them, and what will it take for them ever to…
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When ‘thoughtful’ becomes ‘thoughtless!’ – The Damning Data behind our Merry Christmas.
in analytics, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, fashion accessories, fast fashion, health & beauty, jewellery, ladies fashion, meaning in the retail madness, packaging, pre-loved, recycling, retail, retail businesses, retail management, secondhand, store operations, supply-chains, sustainabilityBritish shoppers are expected to send back £1.5bn worth of Christmas gifts this year, according to new research by Manhattan Associates. These are not the presents bought or the presents kept, this is the eye-watering figure of the presents that nobody wants. And the data just keeps on giving… As per usual the editorials focus…
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Søstrene Grene: Sisters delightfully doing it for themselves!
in accessories, assortment structure planning, branding & visual communication, customer experience, customer-engagement, fashion accessories, health & beauty, home, impulse retailing, internationalisation, jewellery, multi-category, new retail, packaging, Pinterest Gallery, retail, retail brand heritage, retail businesses, retail strategy, sales promotions & events, space management, space planning, store experience, store layout, store operations, store theatre, sustainability, telling product stories, value retailing, visual merchandising, visual merchandising operationsSøstrene Grene simply means the Grene sisters, in Danish. However, when it comes to this wonderful retailer of everything from spices to pencils, candles to cardigans, that is the only thing which is simple or ordinary. As they say, this is a delightfully different store! The brand paints a picture of two sisters, Anna &…
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How can a truly sustainable brand embrace the concept of growth?
As with all things sustainable the answer is often complex and multi-layered. This question is no exception. Just like many consumers I’ve sifted through all the general data and detailed product specifications to try to work out how sustainable a brand, or a individual item actually is. How much damage am I doing to the…
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Body Shop: Seeking a change in fortune for this rough-cut diamond
in branding & visual communication, brave-words, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, health & beauty, impulse retailing, in-store services, packaging, product suppliers, recycling, retail, retail brand heritage, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, store theatre, sustainability, telling product storiesWhere do you begin with the story of Body Shop. So many twists and turns, and so many lessons. Anyone who remembers the 1980s and 1990s experienced a totally new retail concept. Body Shop was way ahead of its time in the world of conscientious cosmetics and toiletries. It was primarily a producer, ensuring that…
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