Business rates – tax or subsidy?
This week has seen another report on our high streets, this one from Ken Shuttleworth (The Gherkin architect) and others along with the BIS Select Committee stating that business r
Best Buy Mk 2? Dixons and Carphone Warehouse set to marry?
On 30th April 2010 Best Buy, the giant electronics retailer opened its first UK store in Thurrock. The Carphone Warehouse then acquired a 50% stake in Best Buy Europe – a marria
Vacancy rates, puns and travel hubs!
This week has been a very busy week. It started with our 9th Retail Summit, which was held at Freshfields in London. Over 160 people turned out to hear how whilst vacancy rates hav
Dublin, Academia and Data!
I had the pleasure last week to be asked to speak to the Masters course at the Dublin Institute of Technology, which is home to Ireland’s main business school. I spoke about Brit
Opportunity knocks but at what price?
So the Christmas trading results are now behind us with the last two Poundland (sales +12%) and WH Smith (sales -4%) showing the variance in sales performance during the Christmas
Recovery? Real, respite or rubbish?
The last two weeks have seen a plethora of data about the economy and the state of retail in general. Today the latest ONS figures show retail sales up 5% year on year for December
The week of reckoning – what the Christmas trading results say!
Firstly, may I take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy New Year! I think that 2014 is going to be a very interesting year for retail and is going to be one of polarisation b
2013 vs 2014. My last blog post of the year!
As we close for the Christmas period it always aids reflection of what was in 2013 and what might be in the year ahead. I have put down a few summary thoughts in this respect in no
Blockbuster – the next step in High Street evolution
Next week sees the closure of all Blockbuster shops. From having had 528 shops it will disappear completely. Woolworths was the same but had over 820 shops and that disappeared fiv
What the numbers behind the autumn statement for the High Street really mean
The autumn statement can be considered as good news for our town centres. Some we had heard prior with Hugh Pym’s (BBC) scoop on the 2% cap but the two surprises for me were the