Retail Remedy Blog

Our latest views and opinions on key retail stories hitting the media are shown below. Why not follow us on twitter and LinkedIn and keep abreast of what is happening in the world of retail.

Mobile Phone customer service

Service – do you really know how you are doing? Do you Own It?

10th June 2019/0 Comments/in Retail Remedy /by Phil Dorrell

I will admit to conceiving this blog based on some really bad service where I felt that my personal issues were exactly that – mine. Nobody else was overly bothered beyond a sympathetic sorry. I’d have been appalled if any human had not been sorry for what was negligence. I wanted a little more than […]

brexit and british retail

The Brexit Retail Crisis

14th February 2019/0 Comments/in Retail Remedy /by Retail Remedy

There has been much talk about the likelihood of a Brexit where no trading deal has been secured and the retailers have all warned that the ramifications are dire. It would be great to be able to report that following extensive investigation, this is not going to be the case. The problem is, it is. […]

Customer First Culture and Business Saving Mindset

4th February 2019/0 Comments/in Retail Remedy /by Retail Remedy

There is a huge difference between tactics and strategy. In our conversations with retailers across the globe, more often than not, there is a lot of confusion between the two. Most people create a retail strategy that is less about the medium to long term view and more about a shift of operational focus for […]

paying for national living wage

Developing a Customer Service Strategy in tune with a Productivity Strategy

31st January 2019/0 Comments/in Retail Remedy /by Retail Remedy

Experience a lack of care from your retailer and you usually shop elsewhere, no need to complain, too many of us are too reserved to do that anyway, we just go. It’s rarely direct rudeness or poor customer service, it is either apathy from the colleagues or not being able to locate one that makes […]

Jack’s – Inspired or Insipid?

23rd October 2018/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

My first visit to Jack’s, Tesco’s alternative discount grocer, was the day after the new store in Middlewich opened. Here is the blow by blow account of my views. Let’s start with the car park and entrance. I must say that there was ample parking, more than I would expect to get in a similar […]

tesco trolleys

Combating Grocery Discounters

27th February 2018/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

So the great and the good of the big 4 have all had a little look at what they can do about the grocery discounters and come up with surprisingly different solutions to the same problem. The discounters you see do not merely offer cheap goods at cheap prices, nor is it all own label. […]

Lidl-shopping

UK Grocery Christmas Trading Insight

16th January 2018/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

The UK grocer’s shareholders are breathing a sigh of relief after the industry reported a better than expected Christmas and Q3 trading. There were one or two little surprises nestled in the results last week but overall, food sales were strong only hampered by general merchandise sales. Looking across the industry a couple of trends […]

What can we expect from Asda in 2018?

17th November 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

The appointment of Roger Burnley as CEO from January and his subsequent appointment of Thakrar as his Chief Strategy Officer implies we should expect change at Asda over the coming 12 months. The last 12 months have seen a simplification of the business, reduced cost, fewer promotions, clearer messaging, which is ideal for a business […]

retail trends 2017 update

2017 Retail Trends update from Retail Remedy

19th October 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

Doesn’t time fly! At the end of last year, we looked forward to 2017 and made a few educated guesses about what we might expect from grocery retailing. If you would like a recap, read the blog here first. Sweeping statements concerning online grocery sales, the use of tech in supermarkets and pricing were made […]

currys kettle range good

Retail Basics #1 – Ranging

3rd October 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

There are a number of basic principles in retailing that evolved from the very beginnings of trade, I have something I do not need myself that someone else will want. Long ago it might have been excess crop or an inherited tool. It was probably bartered for another item the originator thought worthy and then […]

The trials of retail and retail trials

29th September 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

Keeping the customer interested, keeping the offer relevant and keeping the bottom line growing are ongoing challenges that retailers face. Standing still is, quite simply, not an option. In the last week alone we are reading news of a checkout-less store trial in Sainsburys, a one hour delivery trial from M&S, and hearing about Microsoft […]

Morrisons steering it’s own path to growth

14th September 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

What is interesting about Morrisons is that it gets on with the job. While its competitors watch each other, and try to out manoeuvre, our impression of Morrisons is one of steering its own path and using its own strengths to grow the business rather than its competitor’s weaknesses. The first half of 2017 has […]

retail leadership

Where has great Leadership gone?

6th September 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

By Phil Dorrell I often get asked what makes great leadership go wrong, why do so many lauded individuals turn out to be poor leaders in the long term? The Jim Collins book “Good to Great” goes a long way to explain the selfless approach needed to be a long-term leader. Parking the ego and […]

Picture: Graham Barclay/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Morrisons winning ticket: Safeway

1st August 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

Morrison deal to supply McColls has come from left field but it really shouldn’t have. Morrisons have quietly been getting on with business while all the focus has been on Sainsburys and their acquisition trail and the Tesco Booker deal. The scale of the Morrisons deal might be smaller, but Morrisons are racking up a […]

The Retail Remedy Way – Hands on and foot down to retail growth

21st July 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

Retail Remedy is a hands-on retail consultancy, bringing our combined experience to the retailer, diagnosing the problems and then guiding the business through change to deliver results. We work with all kinds of retailers all over the world with turnover upwards of £1m. This case study follows the path of one such retailer; a small […]

new retail formula

The New Retail Formula

5th July 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

Fewer stores and less staff hours equals more profit? Is this the new retail formula that all retailers are aspiring to? We have lost track of the number of retailers that are culling under-performing stores and cutting staff hours in the pursuit of profit in a difficult period of High Street retailing. Luxury purchases have […]

amazon-go-store

Amazon just passed Go

23rd June 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

Amazon is a retail disrupter. Many retailers still hold a fear of what the world’s largest retailer will do to their established business models. On the other hand, many other retailers, rather than let fear paralyse them, use Amazon as a sharp stick to remind them to keep adapting, to never be satisfied, to move […]

fashion retail productivity

Fashion Retail Urgently Needs Better Productivity

2nd June 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

Fashion retail is in a tough place, and it’s becoming tougher. Sales are more difficult to achieve, margins are under pressure from rising costs, and the weather is being no more predictable with every season. Just like most retail business, the largest cost for fashion retail is the labour line so we are very surprised […]

Asda – Some Quality Decisions Needed

18th May 2017/1 Comment/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

By Phil Dorrell The woes of Asda have been well documented by countless newspaper columns and down beat interviews. After 11 consecutive quarters of sales decline the time has come for a response that moves away from what it has always done; after all the definition of madness is doing what you’ve always done and […]

M&S playing catch up on online grocery delivery

8th May 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Retail Remedy

It feels odd to say it in 2017, but one of the UK’s most well-known food retailers are only now announcing a move into online grocery delivery. M&S have announced their intention to trial online grocery deliveries within certain postcodes. Although the mechanics are still being decided, Ocado have been named as a possible partner […]