PART I For years, a debate has raged as to whether online or offline channels benefit from advantages over their counterparts – and if so, are retailers currently operating in what is fundamentally an unfair playing field in the fight for consumer spend? The debate, however, is not as simple as online versus offline. Today…
COVID-19 has acted as a change accelerator for many of the long-term structural issues that have been apparent in the retail sector for several years. Nearly every operator will require some level of structural change – and as many as 50% of retailers will need to pivot to a new model. A more balanced retail…
In recent weeks and months, ‘unprecedented’ is a word that has never been so prevalent in our vocabulary, but equally never has it been more relevant. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought life around the world to a grinding halt, with every sector from manufacturing to hospitality, and from travel to retail, all carrying their own…
KPMG/IPSOS RETAIL THINK TANK: THE UK RETAIL SECTOR SHOULD FEEL CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC IN 2020, WITH GROWTH OF AT LEAST +1.0% LIKELY The UK retail sector is predicted to grow by at least +1.0% in 2020, following three and half years of pain. Perceived certainty in the UK political landscape is likely to increase consumer confidence…
It’s easy to see just how difficult today’s trading conditions are for retailers in the UK. A myriad of external influences are not only combining, but also increasing their impact on retailers’ operations. However, today’s business environment demands constant growth. At the latest quarterly KPMG/Ipsos Retail Think Tank (RTT) meeting, members discussed just what it…
Six years is a long time in any industry, although with the fortunes of retailers being so intrinsically linked to the slightest deviations to the economy, consumer confidence, advancements in technology, political legislation and societal changes, 2025 will almost certainly bring with it a very different retail industry than we see today. At the latest…