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-
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-
Retail Week has published its annual list of the most-loved retailers in the UK. Interestingly if you are looking for big picture trends relating to product sectors, or types of retailers, you will struggle to discover any conclusive findings. Understandably retailers that deliver low prices are very well represented in the cost-of-living climate, but by no means are all low price retailers loved. Some, are clearly not loved at all.-
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-
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-
It was my great pleasure to be the guest of Health Stores Ireland, at their “Putting Our Best Foot Forward” gathering, in Shannon last weekend. The health store sector is perfectly placed to grow and flourish in a world where consumers are increasingly looking to be more proactive in their health, wellbeing, fitness, and mindfulness. It is also a sector filled with passion-driven independent retailers owned by people who embrace-
Disruptive pureplay retailers have brought about an essential change to traditional business structures and processes. Well, ones that have watched and have quickly learned themselves. Best practice retail businesses now put the customer and customer data at the heart of the business. Customer centric & data centric. Everyday processes and new initiatives begin and end with the customer. Informed business act quickly, learn again from the customer, adapt, and improve.-
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-
Retail winners in 2023 will combine ’New Thinking & Processes’ with ‘Old Values & Channels.’ My own Top 5 predictions for the year ahead… 1. The ‘Pureplay bubble’ will continue to burst. 2. Physical retail, in one form or another, will almost always be essential. 3. The convenience and reliability of Click & Collect will become even more widespread as a game-changer. 4. Traditional retailers will continue to decisively get-
I’m often asked how small independent retailers can compete against the scale efficiencies and operational expertise of larger chains. There are in fact, many ways, but always my first answer is about being authentic, about generating a unique passion. That ‘passion’ must be genuine. It needs to be engaging and infectious. And that can only be a reality if the owner and the colleagues take an active interest in the-
