Opinion – Page 42
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OpinionMove of the Week: Strong and adaptable Milford to head up M&S retail
Marks & Spencer has been busy in the executive jobs market of late as it looks to move ahead with its transformation programme, but its latest hire may ultimately prove to be the most significant of all.
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OpinionRichard Walker: Why sustainability can’t just be a middle-class concern
It’s hard to disagree with Sir David Attenborough’s assertions that humanity has made a “tragic, desperate mess” of the planet and that we all need to “look after the natural world”. Encouragingly, he believes that we can all “live the way you want to live – just don’t waste”.
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OpinionOpinion: Forget Asda – Coupe leaves a lasting legacy at Sainsbury’s
Once I made the mistake of telling Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe that I did most of my grocery shopping at Tesco.
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OpinionOpinion: Retailers must embrace the experience economy lifeline
The retail sector hasn’t exactly entered the decade on a high.
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OpinionOpinion: Don’t drown your sorrows, there are lessons to learn from pubs
As another retailer collapses into administration, this time 140-year-old department store business Beales, perhaps store chains can learn lessons from another industry that has been through the mill.
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OpinionMove of the Week: The Works have natural successor for Keaney
It’s that time of year in the jobs market when retailers that encountered difficult trading at Christmas reflect on what went wrong and what they could do better.
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OpinionOpinion: If Flybe deserves a break, why doesn’t retail?
As it emerged that regional airline Flybe was in trouble, ministers scrambled into action to keep the business flying.
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OpinionLeader: Retailers must make 2020 the year of self-help
Meet the new year, same as the old year. Many Christmas updates so far have reflected a tough end to 2019, which during its course took toughness to levels Tyson Fury would be proud of.
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OpinionOpinion: Aldi’s Leader Price takeover will step up discounter push in Europe
Compared to other parts of the food retail business, the discounters are not renowned for their track record in mergers and acquisitions.
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OpinionMove of the Week: Retail leaders must step up in brutal market
Happy New Year! Retail, as we know, never sleeps but for those of us that took some time out over the Christmas period to rest and reflect, the fast start to the new year has forced us to wake quickly from our festive slumber.
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OpinionOpinion: Christmas trading statements? Take them with a pinch of salt
In the mid-1980s, the UK retail landscape was very different. Aldi had yet to open here. Having conquered much of continental Europe, Ikea was just starting to eye Britain.
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OpinionOpinion: The 2010s, the decade when retailers started to listen
The last decade saw many famous retailers go out of business. Names that we grew up with are no longer with us.
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OpinionOpinion: Costco – the overlooked success that’s disrupting retail
When Costco Europe senior vice-president Steve Pappas retired last autumn, after overseeing the US giant’s UK operations for 13 years, his departure didn’t make the same headlines as some other senior retailers.
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OpinionOpinion: Look to Asia for how to build online sales
It might be assumed that the ceiling has been reached for online FMCG sales, but that assumption falls wide of the mark.
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OpinionLeader: Retail’s star can’t only shine at Christmas
In a few days, the tumult of Christmas trading will be over. The short time before the January Sales kick off – in-store at least – brings a chance to reflect on the retail year gone by.
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OpinionMove of the Week: Unconventional times require bold leaders
It’s been another eventful year in the retail jobs market. Ongoing turbulence on the high street has led to a raft of business closures or restructures that in turn has meant a fluid movement of senior executives in and out of some of the country’s most high-profile retailers.
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OpinionElection 2019: Johnson’s government must now ease retailers’ burdens
So it’s all over, bar the shouting. The Conservative Party has won what is being described as a “historic” victory.
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OpinionDave Lewis: Food industry must act now to tackle climate change crisis
“Climate change is no longer a long-term problem. It is in sight and hurtling towards us.”
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OpinionOpinion: Tesco should double down in Asia, not cash out
Incoming Tesco boss Ken Murphy must have been hoping for a relaxed Christmas this year before taking on his new role next spring.
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OpinionOpinion: How to turn business purpose into profit-making reality
In my last article, I wrote about the importance of articulating the ‘why’ of business to employees, in order to help translate lofty company missions into meaningful activities and to create a shared sense of purpose.

















