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2012 – The end of retail as we know it?

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the end of retail as we know it?

So if you are reading this, the world hasn’t yet come to an end. The end of the Mayan calendar hasn’t yet heralded Armageddon and yet another doomsday prophecy has hopefully been put to rest.

Since the world has not come to an end, I’ve been thinking about other prophecies that have been made in 2012. One such prophecy is that offline retail is dying. I most recently heard this from Piers Fawkes during the “2013 Trends Predictions via @PSFK” Hangout when he was heard to say “The big story is that retail is dead” [Read more…]

Christmas Wish: Better Trade Terms Next Year

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Mr. W. Thorpe
Acme Inc.
909 Neverland Road
Hopewell, USA

2nd December 2012

Christmas Wish: Better Trade Terms Next Year

Dear Santa,

I have one Christmas wish: that my trade terms with leading retailers would work better for me. I’d like to feel that I’m investing in my retail partners and not subsidizing them. I wish that the money we spent could be focused on activities that really drive sales rather than buying more of the same activities that seem to deliver little or nothing. And Santa, above all, I wish that when I invest in in retail, I would actually get what I pay for 100% of the time rather than just 80% of the time.

Hopefully  yours,

Billy Thorpe

Sales Director (Acme Inc.) [Read more…]

What Carrefour’s Exit from SE Asia Means for CPG Profits in Asia

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This month Carrefour completed its exit from South East Asia. Following the 2010 sale of its Thai business and the closure of Singapore earlier this year; the transfer of the Malaysian business to Japan’s Aeon group and the sale of its remaining holdings in Indonesia last week closes a chapter in South East Asia retail.  [Read more…]

Want better execution? Learn from Convenience stores

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Just a few weeks ago I was at my favorite beach resort in Thailand for a well-earned break. On my first afternoon I realized I’d left my travel adapter at home so I headed out to find a replacement. Anyone visiting Thailand will know that convenience stores are now a feature of almost every street in every built up area of the country. My beach resort was no exception, with two 7-Elevens and two Family Marts within close walking distance of my hotel. So when my first stop (7-Eleven) yielded no luck, I continued down the road the Family Mart. Having no joy in the second store I thought I’d try my luck in the third and sure enough, they had what I was looking for, albeit in a part of the store I hadn’t searched in before. [Read more…]

What Wal-Mart’s Latest Acquisition in China Tells Us About The Future of E-commerce

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I’m not a gambling man but I’m prepared to bet that many people who read of China’s approval of Wal-Mart’s acquisition of 51% of Yihaodian this week probably said “who?”. They would most likely be readers from outside China who have never heard of this super-star of e-commerce. [Read more…]