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EDITORIAL Footfall rises, charity begins online and how Hotter Shoes is tapping into both

As we all ease back to work after the bank holiday, footfall figures show that the weekend has seen encouraging signs that foot traffic is coming back to stores. Bank Holiday Monday was disappointing, but the run up to it saw a 8% rise in shoppers.

This doesn’t mean that online is slipping, more in appears that physical retail is slowly coming back alongside continuing high levels of online shopping. Hybrid retail seems to be here to stay.

This has proved a boon for the charity sector. Facing a £10bn shortfall with stores shut, consumers looking for bargains, wanting a more sustainable option and simply seeking out new retailers, have started to look to buy from charity shops online. Petcare and baby products have proved particularly popular – and eBay is the place they are selling fastest.

This marketplace-led approach to hybrid retail is backed up in our interview with Victoria Betts of Hotter Shoes on why marketplaces are central to the brand’s strategy. Betts says that multichannel strategies that aim to sell to customers wherever, whenever and however they want to buy must now include marketplaces. 

Meanwhile, new analysis suggests fast growth in the amount of UK warehousing space developed in response to the online shopping boom that accompanied the Covid-19 pandemic. And we also look at the growing influence of ITV reality show Love Island on online fashion sales – and the wider retail industry. 

Today’s guest comment comes from Liam Patterson of Bidnamic who suggests new ways of selling that retailer HMV might consider beyond new store openings. 

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