All Opinion articles – Page 333
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OpinionThe good, the bad and the ugly
Have the past 10 years’ big changes been good for the industry? Simon Burke gives his view
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OpinionTwittering on about retail
Twitter has once again hit the headlines this week with the news that even the Government is getting in on the act of updating internet audiences with messages of 140 characters or less.But it is retailers that are leading the way in proactively engaging consumers in conversation using sites such ...
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OpinionNow we need real action on service charges
It’s not the most glamorous of subjects, but service charge is one of the areas where retailers have been paying through the nose for decades. Finally, it seems, landlords are willing to have a serious conversation about it.Retailers will delight in any plan to save them money in these tight ...
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OpinionTopshop to New York, Anthropologie to London
Standing on a rainy sidewalk in New York on Friday, it was hard to find much to be enthusiastic about. The mood in the city was resolutely downbeat and the number of buildings with the words “Retail For Rent” plastered across them served as an indication of the malaise that has hit the city hard.
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OpinionMothercare is all grown up
Mothercare appears to have its corner of the retail sector all sewn up.Today, the maternity and baby specialist unveiled a stellar set of results, with UK sales ahead of expectations and international sales soaring.It is a repeat story for the retailer that rarely puts a baby step out of place.Admittedly, ...
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OpinionA top shop for a Big Apple
This week sees Topshop New York finally away from the starting blocks in the latest episode of Brits intent on making a splash in the Big Apple.
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Opinion
Waitrose heads for the road
Waitrose’s latest expansion route will take it to motorway service stations. Will it knock Marks & Spencer off its post?When celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal gave his magic touch to the egg and chips style motorway cafe Little Chef, cars clogged up the A303 near Winchester as hungry fans queued up ...
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OpinionKeep the international faith
Despite bumps in the road, emerging markets are still great opportunities, says Ian Cheshire
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Opinion
Under the counter
Neil Kennedy, chairman of Stonell and director of Geaves Surface Solutions
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OpinionCautious Next sets the standard
Next chief executive Simon Wolfson was his usual cautious self last week, revealing to the City that the fashion retailer would be “sticking to the knitting”.His approach pleased analysts, and one even believes that Next is among the best-managed companies in the sector.Wolfson is right to be cautious. Among the ...
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Opinion
The end justifies the means in Rose’s case
His style may be Savile Row but Marks & Spencer boss Sir Stuart Rose this week once again showed himself to be a scrapper. The retailer’s fourth-quarter update confounded bearish expectations as a raft of initiatives bore fruit. Like-for-like declines won’t have them dancing in the foyer of Waterside House ...
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Opinion
Cruel month of April no joke for retail
In The Wasteland, TS Eliot wrote that April is the cruellest month. Something tells me JG Brown and AM Darling studied it in their formative years.With property and people being retailers’ biggest operating costs, Wednesday certainly wasn’t a day to celebrate. April 1 was the day this year’s whopping business ...
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Opinion
Welcome relief on costs
Tuesday’s unexpected but very welcome deferral of the proposed 5 per cent rates rise was not the only good news in retail property this week.For several months Retail Week has been reporting on all sorts of argy-bargy between retailers and landlords.But representatives of the two groups, spearheaded by Arcadia and ...
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Opinion
BPF launches website to fight Government over empty rates
The British Property Federation (BPF) has piled more pressure on the Government over the empty property relief laws by launching a website to raise awareness of its campaign.
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Opinion
NRF accuses card companies over PCIDSS
While President Obama is in London for the G20 summit today, retailers’ eyes should also be on a little-publicised congressional panel back in the US that could impact the way credit card data is used in the future.
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Opinion
Quarter day: So far so good
This time a week ago, my inbox was buzzing with emails from lawyers, surveyors, agents and more all predicting a rout in the coming weeks as retailers broke their backs to pay this quarter’s rent. Seven days later, and despite the fear, landlords are making very positive noises.
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OpinionTesco faces stiff competition
Sainsbury’s is well and truly on the up. Its fourth-quarter like-for-like sales, excluding petrol, were up 6.2 per cent and it is continuing to win new customers.
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OpinionThe glass is always half full
Upbeat media stories are hard to come by says Jacqueline Gold, but don’t let that get retail down
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Opinion
Tesco will find its feet again
With the grocers’ reporting season well under way, all eyes will be on Tesco next month when it reveals its preliminary results.