brave-words Archives - VM Unleashed

“Meet your wardrobe of 2028!” – It has more Second-hand than Fast-fashion

“Meet your wardrobe of 2028!” – It has more Second-hand than Fast-fashion I love this chart! It was produced using Globaldata research and is now 5 years old. It predicts what types of retailer our fashion wardrobe will be bought from in 5 years-time, in 2028. What an appropriate time to revisit it, mid-way through the prediction timeframe, particularly because what it envisaged for clothing is largely unfolding before our-

Ben Francis, Gymshark and why ‘The physical world is a great place to do business!’

Gymshark – ‘The physical world is a great place to do business!’ As you may know, I am a great advocate of Gymshark and its founder Ben Francis. For those of you who are not familiar with either, Gymshark is now one of the leading gym wear brands in the world valued at over $1 billion. It was founded barely 10 years ago by Ben Francis. Disillusioned by his choice-

Time for consumer brands to find their ‘Meaning in the Retail Madness.’

Time for consumer retail brands to find their ‘Meaning in the Retail Madness.’ It would be fair to say that the retail industry has lost its way over recent years. In my own work, I have become increasingly disillusioned with the strategies and operational practices of businesses that have grown to ‘love volumes over value’ and ‘buying efficiencies over retail excellence.’ There has been an over-obsession with technology, and the-

The ‘Passion Supply Chain’ delivering customer engagement and commercial success.

The fundamental purpose of any retailer is to bring together a physical customer and a physical product, irrespective of whether the sale is made in a physical shop or online. A successful supply chain is therefore a pre-requisite for any retail business. However, managing the ‘beast’ of the supply chain to ensure customers and their products are ultimately in the same place, at the same time, is not going to-

eBay: First to sell the new story of second-hand

Once again, I find myself agreeing with Murray Lambell, UK general manager at eBay. Not only with his words and insights, but with the actions that eBay are taking towards operating and flourishing in a better and more sustainable retail future. Last year eBay promoted only re-sell products for Black Friday, opened a Luxury Exchange to verify and facilitate the sale of second-hand designer accessories, and they also sponsored Love Island providing-

Charity Super.Mkt: ‘Cometh the hour, cometh the people!’

Followers of sustainable fashion cannot have avoided the opening of the first multi-charity department store, at the Brent Cross shopping centre, in North London. Ten charities are represented in the store, including Age UK, Cancer Research, Shelter and Traid. It has opened to much fanfare in a former TopShop unit and is not just remarkable in terms of its size and collaborations, but in the fact that Brent Cross is-

Why Independent Retailers should naturally make the best social media influencers!

Have you ever wondered why shopping on a good local high street takes so long? Well, there may be negatives such as finding somewhere to park, particularly if its popular, but once in situ it is largely down to becoming immersed in the whole shopping experience. You discover new and unusual products that require further inspection, you bump into friends in the street and pass some time, and maybe you-

Is eBay and its ‘Luxury Exchange’ the new face of sustainable ownership?

Is eBay and its ‘Luxury Exchange’ the new face of sustainable ownership? The recent initiative from eBay only to promote re-sell products for Black Friday has re-established the brand as a genuine and very significant player in the world of sustainable retailing. A market that is set to grow rapidly as a hybrid of reselling, upselling, recycling, and rental. The common thread is the principle of buying less and using-

Is eBay the Sustainability Hero of Black Friday?

In case this sounds far-fetched we should remember that eBay began life as the online equivalent of a glorified car-boot sale. We all spent time selecting our target products, planning our bid strategies, and we passed some enjoyable and exciting times counting down the auction clock and firing in our last-minute offers. Before sustainable retailing became a significant movement, and re-sell was still largely restricted to charity shops, eBay was at the-

Discussing ‘Experiential Retailing’: Dark Sugars – ‘Drama & theatre in Chocolate’

Listen to myself, Tim Radley, on the Louise Lally podcast, discussing the much vaunted but little understood concept of ‘Experiential Retailing!’ Join the free podcast now through this link…Retailing with Meaning Ep1 Store Concepts (podbean.com) The podcast features a discussion on Dark Sugars, and its chocolate destination shop on Brick Lane, with its wonderful and beguiling atmosphere. Dark Sugars is no ordinary chocolate shop. The trademark truffles, in evocative flavours,-