Blog

Going for growth in grocery

by Bill Bishop
retail growthThe bleak title of the article about the 2012 Supermarket News Analyst Roundtable was “Grim Prognosis,” but there are some “silver lining” opportunities that are worth considering by any food retailer who is serious about growing their business. The analysts provided some pointers to areas where supermarkets may be able to grow. We call out six of them, and offer a couple of ways to approach each one. more

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Adapting to multi-channel

by Bill Bishop
Europe map

Steps European retailers are taking

In London last month, I had a chance to catch up with Marc de Speville, who watches retail in Europe for Redburn, Europe’s leading independent equities broker. When he shared his observations about how food and electronics retailers were responding to the multi-channel trend, I was struck by how brick-and-mortar retailers who sell such different products were starting to focus on leveraging the inherent advantages they have over pure online players. For grocers, de Speville sees an opportunity to break out of a capital-intensive business model. In electronics, he sees Europe’s largest retailer leveraging physical locations while minimizing price differentials. With his permission, I’ve summarized our pub talk below. more

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Swedish retail

by Bill Bishop

Swedish FlagFacing retail challenges in Sweden

BMC Black Belt Hakan Bengtsson traveled from Sweden to Chicago recently, and we asked him how Northern European retailers were dealing with the trend toward multi-channel retailing. In this interview, he answers our questions and then asks some of his own. Hakan works for Centigo, a leading management consultancy based in Stockholm, where his specialty is advising clients on how the convergence of the web and physical stores is affecting commerce. more

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What the C-suite needs to do about social media

by Bill Bishop
Executive ChairLast week we explored a digital native’s take on social media, this week we offer a C-level briefing from Don Keeble. Keeble worked his way through nearly every retail function in 29 years at Kmart, from merchandising to new market development, to become President of Operations. He also pays close attention to customer comments on social media. We talked with him about how important it is for senior retail leadership to help their companies learn from social media. And, how a CEO (who may not have a Facebook page) can approach learning about and using what his or her customers are saying on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. more

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Where social media meets retailing

by Susan Lindsay, Executive Editor
Rainbow OreoSo where’s the manual on social media anyway? Why is it so hard for business to tap into? I went looking for someone who speaks the language, understands the culture, and works in this space so I could shine some light on the intersection of social media and retailing. I found Jesse Spencer, who leads social media for Integer, a well-known strategic marketing firm. His take on shaping conversations was an eye-opener, and he made me thoughtful about how social media’s speed and topicality might fit in with retail. more

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