All Columnists articles – Page 17
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Analysis
Brian Madderson: chairman PRA
Post-Brexit there’s been understandable concern that the predicted drop in the value of sterling versus the US dollar would immediately force Platts’ wholesale costs upwards. While there has been devaluation of sterling, the pessimists in the City predicting lows of $1.20 or even $1.10 have so far proved well wide ...
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Analysis
Merril Boulton: Maintaining standards
I hope you’ve all had a good summer - yes it eventually arrived, encouraging people to get out and about and make the most of the warm temperatures by driving to the beach, shopping for barbecues, or generally travelling around the country as they took in the sights on their ...
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Analysis
Shop Talk: Tracy West
A colleague asked me the other day if I was some sort of brand ambassador for Coke. His reasoning was my knowledge of the brand and the different sub-brands. Unfortunately, I’m not, but I’m a massive Diet Coke fan and drink far too much of the lovely bubbly stuff. As ...
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Analysis
Chris Hunt: UKPIA director general
The implications and effects of the nation’s decision to leave the European Union will take some time to unravel, and for the UK’s negotiations over ’Brexit’ to begin. At this stage, attempting to predict a future relationship model among the five or so potential ones generally being presented by political ...
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Analysis
Peter Harding: business development director Htec
This month I’d like to cover self checkouts. There are basically three types. Card only, as the name suggests, is a unit that only accepts debit and credit cards. These units can be pole-mounted or shelf-mounted. They’re a much lower cost unit than a traditional self checkout as seen in ...
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Analysis
Merril Boulton: Duty-bound
Something of a blow for those pursuing the case for duty deferment, is last month’s overturning of a landmark tax verdict that could have brought a significant cashflow boost to many retailers (see News page 4, and News Extra, page 10). It was just a year ago that Brobot Petroleum ...
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Analysis
Shop Talk: Tracy West
I have a confession. Despite being a middle-aged woman, I really like McCoy’s. I know they’re principally aimed at men but just as I love action films made for men, so do I like McCoy’s. It’s the flavours they’re so strong. No subtle ’hints of’, just full-on flavour. That said, ...
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Analysis
Merril Boulton - editor: Never a truer phrase
Whoever said a week is a long time in politics (prime minister Harold Wilson in 1964 apparently), could not have coined a more apt phrase for what’s happened in the past seven days (writing on July 1). Chaos and skullduggery appears to be the order of the day as the ...
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Analysis
Kevin Eastwood: executive director BOSS
We now know where we stand with Europe, while the performance of the home nations in the Euro football championship has kept us all on a knife edge. And we’re delighted to have recovered a massive £500,000 for forecourt retailers during the first six months of 2016. This success means ...
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Analysis
James Lowman: ACS chief executive
Over recent years, the forecourt and convenience sectors have been merging closer together, with more stores now considering themselves to be ’convenience plus fuel’ rather than primarily traditional fuel retailers. This has led to the emergence of hundreds of fantastic new store formats that often lead the rest of the ...
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Analysis
Shop Talk - Tracy West
I love a limited edition and they always catch my eye in the shops. But I have to wonder how you retailers make room for them. If they’re small and a real impulse buy, then they might fit by the till, but if they aren’t you’ve got to find space ...
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Analysis
David Charman - chairman CWA
Over the past decade, the Car Wash Association has made huge inroads into regulating the hand washes that continue to blight our environment, fail to contribute to the country and bring car washing into disrepute. While there have been some success stories, generally the lack of regulatory pressure has allowed ...
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Analysis
Brian Madderson - chairman PRA
As I travel around the UK meeting and talking to independent forecourt retailers, I have been struck by their enthusiasm to embrace the shopping revolution which has seen increasing demand for ’top-up’ visits to good, local convenience stores. Fortunately this enthusiasm has been matched by symbol groups willing to improve ...
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Analysis
Merril Boulton: Let’s focus on the certainties
The EU referendum vote looms large this month, and despite all the talk, nobody seems any the wiser about the outcome. Even the forecourt sector seems to be as evenly divided and undecided on the matter as the rest of the nation (see News Extra page 10). But one thing ...
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Shop Talk - Tracy West
The days of heading to the supermarket are over for some Brits, as they trade trolleys for home delivery. That was the opening sentence on a press release from Mintel about its online shopping report. The press release went on to say that online tills are ringing loudly with sales ...
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Analysis
Peter Harding - retail consultant
We all understand standards within the technological arena change, sometimes so quickly that it is difficult to keep pace. This is a pre-warning that things may again be set to change. We are all familiar with WiFi and indeed our working and home lives may depend on the technology existing. ...
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Analysis
Chris Hunt - UKPIA director general
The competitiveness of oil refining and other energy intensive industries is under threat. The current crisis facing UK steelmaking is symptomatic of a much wider malaise, mirrored across the whole major industrial manufacturing infrastructure. In exploring the challenges facing oil refining and wider industry in the UK, UKPIA has produced ...
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Analysis
Merril Boulton: Booker begins to deliver
When Booker acquired Musgrave Retail Partners GB last summer, it said it had a track record of turning around ’challenged businesses’. Its extremely accomplished CEO Charles Wilson said Booker, Londis and Budgens were joining forces to help independent retailers prosper. Well the deal announced with MFG last month (see News ...
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Analysis
Merril Boulton: Search starts here for this year’s best retailers
So oil prices are slowly rising again currency fluctuations and an anticipated production freeze contributing to the joyfully complex formula that dictates what motorists pay at the pump. Like sailing away from a sunny holiday destination, we seem to be leaving the £1-a-litre prices behind shame, I quite liked matching ...
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Analysis
James Lowman - ACS chief executive
The March 2016 Budget is likely to be remembered by the general public for what ended up not happening, notably the review of benefits to the disabled. It may also be remembered for the announcement of the levy on companies selling sugary drinks. I may be a cynic, but I ...