The ‘Biggest Threat’ to the High Street is to try to keep it the same! I am often asked, ‘What are the biggest threats to the High Street?’ I am asked by multiples who are trying to work out whether their current and future strategy and investment in town centres is correct, and by new brands who are looking to launch and develop a physical High Street presence. For me,-
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-
My collaborative project with the London College of Fashion has come to an end, for this year at least. Sad to say goodbye for now, but what an amazing and rewarding experience for everyone. The student’s final presentations were professional and polished. I can honestly say that I have sat through far worse presentations from professional businesses. Whilst I would like to take some credit for my input into their-
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-
The LCF student’s collaborative challenge module is now entering the creative phase. Always a fascinating period of any project, when all of that valuable research and benchmarking needs to be translating into customer facing outputs. The students are so tech native that visual imagery and social media communication is second nature to them. It is the polar opposite to me and many of the lecturers who were initiated into retail-
“An excellent read *****” “Valuable reference for anyone in retail *****” “This book is more relevant now than ever! *****” ‘Meaning in the Retail Madness’ explains how touchpoints have replaced channels, how linear supply chains will become circular, why assortments are increasingly virtual, how physical is turning to local, and why products and shops are not necessarily made for each other anymore. It supplies a blueprint for retail’s new ‘agile-
My current collaboration with the London College of Fashion (LCF) has introduced me to the alumni of recently graduated students, now embarking on their own creative business journeys. The product of a variety of courses at LCF, their vision, knowledge and enthusiasm has been a true discovery for me. They are also an inspiration to the current master’s students, who are now moving forwards with our Collaborative Challenge project to-
‘The Good Store’ – A product of the sustainable community For those wishing to buy sustainably the problem of finding genuine brands takes time and commitment. The Good Store is a department store in central London that has curated 600sqm of space dedicated entirely to products made from recycled materials and upcycled into attractive things to buy. The store carries a selection of sustainable products and brands across clothing, accessories,-
Very pleased to have collaborated with Startups.co.uk on an article about Experiential retailing.Thanks to Helena Young, for inviting me to contribute. Of course, creating and delivering a good customer experience is so important for every retailer. But will it be the saviour of the high street, the knight in shining armour for independent retailers?Well, not necessarily! As with many aspects of the shop environment, ‘Experiential Retailing’ has also become something to copy.-
Pleased to announce that I’m working with the London College of Fashion this Autumn, as part of their Collaborative Challenge Industry Partner Programme. The fashion industry is more exciting and dynamic than ever. Students entering this world, across a wide range of disciplines, now need to be fully prepared and be able to collaborate and integrate with a variety of internal teams and external partners. With this in mind, we-
