Comment: Retailers need to take action to preserve their brands overseas

Where do we go when Christmas is no longer safe? There’s been talk in the wake of the UK slump of focusing on international versus domestic trade. Certainly, the opportunities are out there internationally - but there’s no need to be so “us and them” about it.

Here’s another view. Stop thinking “international” versus “domestic” in the first place. At times like this, a strong brand takes the knocks in one market with strong performance in another. You have one brand. One experience. Yet I’ve seen many admirable retail brands struggling with this because they’re not set up to take action globally with confidence.

It’s understandable. Historically, domestic stores have been the golden children - completely owned, complete control, complete visibility - while international stores are an unknown entity - franchised or joint-ventured, run by someone else, returning limited data. But they’re still your brand. They need to be traded as such: as well as possible, one experience maintaining consistency, relevance and speed.

In 2014, there are now the tools to achieve this. If you’re looking to expand in 2014, you could do worse than explore your options for building a business that can achieve international visibility and collaboration.

Take Tesco, for instance. Entering the US with wholly owned Fresh & Easy turned out to be a rare expensive failure, but with F&F it has made a success of the market at low risk and low expense on a franchise model. Not because of the franchise model itself, but because of a strong brand, executed well from F&F central. The ability for control is there, and those who take it will be richly rewarded.

This attitude to international is a key behaviour change for our domestic brands. Like them, in 2014 I want to be pushing British businesses forward overseas. To achieve that, I hold that a single view of stores, regardless of format, is key. Trade as a global brand and you will grow as a global brand.

I have seen brands including M&S and TM Lewin embracing this as we speak, but too many other great staples of UK retail still have a long way to go. I urge they embrace the “global” mindset, and benefit from the global approach to “one brand - one business” and become less reliant on the UK market and seasonal sales. The change may take effort and persuasion, but the benefits are worth it. 

Tristan Rogers, chief executive of ConcretePlatform, advises large retailers including Tesco, Wal-Mart, Marks & Spencer, Clarks, Mamas & Papas and Jaeger on international expansion.