Sarah Butler Friday 14 February 2014 The Guardian UK’s high streets undergoing transformation as shoppers trim their spending, buy online and look for local leisure experiences Retail space equalling the size of the vast Westfield shopping centre in west London was converted to new uses last year, as the UK’s high streets adapted to changing habits. Traditional shop space in excess of 1.7m sq ft was lost in 2013 – an increase of more than 60% on 2012 – as betting shops, gyms, bars and restaurants moved into vacant retail premises, according to a report for the industry journal Estates Gazette. Betting shops were the single most prolific type of new entrant, with 106 winning permission to open last year – but gyms and health clubs took up the most space, at more than 1m sq ft. The UK’s high streets are undergoing a rapid transformation, as shoppers trim their…

Sarah Butler Friday 14 February 2014 The Guardian UK’s high streets undergoing transformation as shoppers trim their spending, buy online and look for local leisure experiences Retail space equalling the size of the vast Westfield shopping centre in west London was converted to new uses last year, as the UK’s high streets adapted to changing habits. Traditional shop space in excess of 1.7m sq ft was lost in 2013 – an increase of more than 60% on 2012 – as betting shops, gyms, bars and restaurants moved into vacant retail premises, according to a report for the industry journal Estates Gazette. Betting shops were the single most prolific type of new entrant, with 106 winning permission to open last year – but gyms and health clubs took up the most space, at more than 1m sq ft. The UK’s high streets are undergoing a rapid transformation, as shoppers trim their…

Kosta Conomos JANUARY 2014 CONSUMERISATION Private label products now account for one in every five supermarket dollars spent in Australia – its share almost doubling over the past eight years. While much of this growth can be attributed to ALDI’s entry into the market in 2001; the other major retailers have made a concerted effort to push their premium private label ranges to compete head-to-head with leading brands. One of the reasons private label has become significantly more important in driving store choice is that we are now entering the third stage of the private label life-cycle. The first stage, where we stayed for much longer than other markets, was the ‘private label is cheap’ phase – during this time there was considerable stigma attached to buying store brands and shoppers were aware they were sacrificing quality for a cheap product. The second stage which developed over the past three…

February 10, 2014 NACS Online A new partnership with Foodpanda brings delivery services to customers in Malaysia. ​KUALA LUMPUR – 7-Eleven in Malaysia is partnering with Foodpanda for a new food delivery venture, reports RetailAnalysis.igd.com. According to the news service, shoppers can access the service through a mobile app or website, as well as place orders by phone. Product ranges include drinks, snacks, daily essentials and a small selection of non-food items, as well as cigarettes and mobile phone credit. The service is available between 10 am and 10:30 pm for customers in Klang Valley, Penang, Baharu, Putrajaya, Johor Baharu and Cyberjaya. As for payment options, customers can pay online or cash on deliver. The news source adds that delivery is a “key point of difference for 7-Eleven in the Malaysian market, where online grocery retailing is beginning to gain momentum. Market leader Tesco launched an online platform last summer,…

Adam Courtenay February 11, 2014 The Age He’s looking at you from billboards and he knows your age, sex and a lot more too. Should we be worried? Any fears you might have that Big Brother is watching you can now be officially confirmed. Come March, he will be. Next month the advertising industry will be employing new technology known as Anonymous Biometric and Objects Data Sensors (ABODS). Put simply, sensor cameras are placed behind or close to the screen frame of a digital billboard, biometrically sizing you up as you walk past. ABODS can tell age, gender and colour and also the number of people in front of a digital screen. This is advertising gold. It will be able to tell your age range, sex and the colour of your clothes. Armed with this information, it will throw the ads at you that best fit your demographic. If an…

Kathleen Lee Joe February 11, 2014 The Age Guard your wallets – COS has just confirmed its Aussie expansion! The Swedish retailer – otherwise known as H&M’s cooler, more sophisticated older sister – is to open its first store in Melbourne’s ‘The Strand’ on Elizabeth Street later this year. Given the fact that we shamelessly make a beeline for COS from the airport whenever we’re in Europe, this is exciting news indeed! “We are all looking forward to opening COS in Australia,” said Marie Honda, Overall Brand Responsible of COS (yes, that’s her title, not a typo). “Melbourne is a vibrant, cultural and exciting city which we feel will be the ideal setting for our first store”. Here’s hoping & Other Stories will be soon to follow!