The globalised nature of the world in which we live is visible in many aspects of our lives. Take a quick scan on Facebook to see how far and wide your friends are scattered, or alternatively just take a stroll down London’s prime retailing streets, Oxford Street, Regent Street or Bond Street, on a Friday […]
I am asked on a frequent basis about the growth of e-commerce and what the future holds for the physical space in an increasingly virtual world. The answer is that I don’t know what the future looks like, but having explored the impact of e-commerce on the UK retail market and the increasing evidence of […]
As Jones Lang LaSalle noted in our recent report ‘London’s West End: Review and Outlook’, London is now arguably the restaurant capital of the world, with the West End at its epicentre. London’s dining industry is in good health; in a recent Zagat survey, 40% of diners claimed that London’s dining scene is better today […]
Pureplay retailer, ASOS, announced earlier this week, that it will offer 15-minute delivery slots to its customers. This is the latest move by a UK retailer to raise the stakes in terms of online convenience for the consumer, following House of Fraser’s announcement of Drive-Thru Click and Collect and Morrisons’ tie-up with Ocado. The service […]
I had the pleasure of speaking at the UK Shopping Centre Management Conference 2013 yesterday on social media and e-commerce, and the implications for retail and real estate. The conference had a record 400+ attendees and had an excellent agenda of speaking and panel sessions, in addition to networking and knowledge sharing breaks. The theme of […]
One of the most notable news items this week for the retail sector is that the proportion of cash transactions at the point of sale decreased 10 per cent last year. According to the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) Cost of Payment Collection Survey, consumers are embracing alternative ways to shop using new technology. However, paying […]
Department store House of Fraser (HOF) has announced that like-for-like sales increased at record levels at 3.3 per cent to £1.2 billion over the last full year as the group has achieved growth across all categories, according to figures released last week. In the 52 weeks ended January 26th 2013, adjusted EBITDA rose 4.3 per […]
One of the big stories in the UK retail sector this week is that customers at British Land’s shopping centres will be able to enjoy free Wi-Fi later this year. As many of you know, for me, this is really great news! British Land’s full shopping centre portfolio will benefit from the deal with BT […]
A number of announcements this week have further illustrated how truly multi-channel the retail sector is becoming. Selfridges have announced they are set to open a drive-thru click-and-collect service at its London flagship store. The department store is going to adapt a forecourt space off the side of its Oxford Street site so that customers […]
Some positive news this week, as the UK economy managed to exceed analysts’ expectations and achieve growth of 0.3% in Q1, thus avoiding an unprecedented triple dip recession, and providing a timely boost to sentiment after an uncertain beginning to 2013. Unfortunately, notwithstanding this progression, the UK’s GDP is still 2.6% below its pre-recession peak […]
