Stores come into the spotlight once more in today’s InternetRetailing newsletter, as House of Fraser landlords approve its CVA, Dixons Carphone suggests that online sales growth is denting its profitability and Marks & Spencer looks at how artificial intelligence could improve the store experience. All of this chimes with Forrester analysis this week that suggests multichannel retailers need to look again at their store estates.
Today’s timely guest comment comes from Chris Noble of Store Force and crosses into all these areas, as he considers how AI might affect store staff.
We also report as the BRC welcomes the Government’s announcement on settled status, saying this will give 170,000 EU nationals working in the UK retail industry “clarity and certainty”.
All in all, this is a time of enormous change in the industry. But in this change lies opportunity as well as challenge. It’s likely that retailers that are taking advantage of the change as they build new ways to sell, and to meet the needs of customers will be those that prosper in the end. Despite the ongoing challenges, we hope that all the retailers we’re writing about today, and their fellows in the IRUK Top500, will able to help to set a course towards that prosperous future, however customer behaviour changes, and however retailers decide to respond to that change.
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