All articles by Charlotte Hardie – Page 8
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Analysis
When suppliers break the chain
A supplier going bust has always been a logistical nightmare for retailers, but at the moment it is happening alarmingly often. Charlotte Hardie assesses how to minimise the impact
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AnalysisOnline retail: Why there's no place like home in a downturn
Despite the gloom in the wider market, online continues to grow impressively. Charlotte Hardie surveys the state of the e-tail sector as we enter recession, and how to keep ahead of the game.
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News
Best Buy confirms no UK debut until 2010
Best Buy chief executive Bob Willett has confirmed the retailer will not make its UK debut until spring 2010 at the earliest.
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News
Phil Wrigley: price rises 'a bit of an inevitability'
Product price rises will be an inevitable consequence of the deepening recession, said New Look executive chairman Phil Wrigley at the Retail Week conference.
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Analysis
Northern Ireland retailers benefit as Republic's consumers stream north
Amid the gloom of retailing in the UK one area is bucking the trend. But Northern Ireland’s gain is the Republic’s loss. Charlotte Hardie reports from Belfast on why Northern Irish eyes are smiling.
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AnalysisRetail’s best-kept secrets
Despite the general air of doom and gloom blighting the high street, some low-profile retailers seem to be doing just fine. Charlotte Hardie reveals a selection of retail’s secret success stories
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AnalysisConsumer behaviour: All in the mind
Research shows that women are more demanding when they shop and influence up to 80 per cent of purchases. Charlotte Hardie finds out how retailers can cash in by tapping into the female psyche.
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Opinion
Jessops needs to snap to it
Few were more surprised than the City when Jessops posted robust Christmas trading figures. For many, the sight of the specialist camera retailer edging towards the top of the festive performance league table and sitting happily near Somerfield and Waitrose was nothing short of a miracle.
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News
Retailers rally against recession as they outperform the index
General retail stocks and food retailers outperformed the All Share index after a better than feared festive reporting season.
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Analysis
OC&C Christmas Trading Index: Christmas wrapped up
The frantic festive season is over and many retailers are breathing a sigh of relief. Charlotte Hardie examines the key themes in what has been a nerve-wracking few weeks with the help of OC&C’s Christmas Trading Index
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AnalysisRetail staffing: Power to the People
Backing UK Retail isn’t just about the role the industry plays in the economy – it’s about the part it plays in communities too. Charlotte Hardie asks how store jobs have helped local people
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News
LK Bennett sets sights on UK and international expansion
LK Bennett executive chairman Robert Bensoussan has laid out plans to double the size of the business within five years.
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News
LK Bennett sets sights on UK and international expansion
LK Bennett executive chairman Robert Bensoussan has laid out plans to double the size of the business within five years.
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Analysis
Supply Chain: Reverse psychology
Returns can be a costly burden, yet retailers’ supply chains are often ill-equipped to deal with them. Charlotte Hardie asks where savings can be made as unwanted gifts fly back to stores.
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Analysis
People: Promote your enthusiasm
The new year hangover will be as long as it is harsh, so how can retailers enthuse staff and inject confidence into the business? Charlotte Hardie explains how positivity is the way forward.
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Analysis
Christmas on Oxford Street: Tinsel town
Stores must be on top form if they’re to capture dwindling consumer spend. Charlotte Hardie and Itim Consulting’s Simon Puryer take a stroll down Oxford Street to see how they’re doing.
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Analysis
Ethics: Who cares?
As the recession takes hold, the focus has moved from the ethical agenda to managing costs. But have shoppers really stopped caring? Charlotte Hardie investigates, and asks whether retailers can afford to drop this issue.
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News
Smaller retailers toast rent triumph
Smaller retailers are celebrating an agreement with landlords that allows them to pay rents monthly without incurring a financial penalty.
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News
Green will not bid for Moss Bros
Sir Philip Green’s Warbeck Holding Company has said it will not make an offer for Moss Bros.
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Opinion
VAT reduction just doesn’t cut it
Oh the irony. Even if Alistair Darling’s 2.5 percentage point cut in VAT had prompted consumers to open their purses this week, they would have been snapped firmly shut again only days later when two household retail names went into administration.