One year until The EU General Data Protection Regulation: The business world speaks out about the biggest ever overhaul of data legislation May 25, 2017 Exactly one year from today, “the most lobbied piece of legislation in history” – the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – will be enacted, radically overhauling the relationship businesses have with personal data through a raft of new obligations and consumer rights. The way firms collect, store, process and protect the personal information of [...]
BP pumps up Australian business with £1.1bn petrol deal to partner with Woolworths December 28, 2016 BP's share price rose today after the oil and gas giant announced it has paid $1.3bn (£1.1bn) to form a partnership with Australian supermarket chain Woolworths for its petrol business. The group has acquired 527 Woolworths fuel stations as part of the agreement, as well as a further 16 sites under construction. BP already owns [...]
Focus On Peckham: How it went from Only Fools fame to be the first time buyer capital of London November 25, 2016 Whatever you think about 2016, it’s been a billboard year for Peckham. Two large houses near Peckham Rye station sold £2.5m this year, a record price for the area, firmly cementing SE15’s fast-growing reputation as a desirable place to live. It’s not bad for an area that is embedded in the national psyche as the [...]
Getting ready to decorate this year? Well it’s time to get serious about your bauble game November 23, 2016 If you enjoy idly browsing the shelves of high street stores, you have American entrepreneur Frank Woolworth to thank. The 19th century dime-store magnate pioneered the practice of self-service shopping, whereby customers can handle goods without the assistance of a clerk. Woolworth also enforced the idea of fixed pricing, rather than haggling, as the common [...]
Commercial property investment in the UK dropped off in the first half of 2016 October 4, 2016 UK commercial real estate investment has dropped by more than a third in the first half of 2016, according to new figures from BNP Paribas. Investment into offices in the UK fell by 36 per cent in the first half of the year as compared to the same period last year – but BNP Paribas pointed out [...]
Brexit isn’t a Woolworths moment for commercial property in the City September 28, 2016 In the days following the EU referendum, I found myself looking back to one of the seminal moments of 2008: images showing hundreds of Woolworths shops closing their doors for the final time. At that point, no other event seemed to better illustrate the effects of the global financial crisis on the UK high street. With hindsight, [...]
Second chance for BHS? An open letter to David Anderson, managing director of the newly online-only retailer September 27, 2016 Dear David Anderson, Whether it’s BHS or Woolworths, we all love a good phoenix from the ashes story, especially when it involves a great British brand. News that BHS is to be reincarnated online has been met with a cautious welcome. Cautious because the challenges ahead are considerable: in addition to the reputational damage the [...]
Could a focus on customer experience have saved BHS? June 3, 2016 Retailers have learnt harsh lessons about failing to stay relevant; the collapse of BHS is just the latest casualty. Like Woolworths and GAME before it, when BHS went into administration, the most common reaction was shock. However, the downfall of BHS cannot be considered a surprise. The company failed to keep up with the internet revolution and being outmanoeuvred [...]
Rivals set to win customers on back of BHS’ demise April 27, 2016 BHS has entered administration, confirming what I have previously written about in this column; its loyal customers have deserted it in recent years. Although BHS will continue to trade while a buyer is sought, the retailer has been in trouble for some time as it failed to modernise its offering. It has been losing market [...]
BHS administration “more significant than Woolworth’s” as cost to taxpayer stacks up April 26, 2016 The collapse of BHS could be "more significant than Woolworths" – and the business is unlikely to survive in any meaningful form, experts have told City A.M. Parent company Retail Acquisitions called in administrators Duff & Phelps yesterday afternoon, a year after buying the debt-laden business from Sir Philip Green for £1. Managing directors Phil [...]