IRUK Top500 Strategy and Innovation Report: 2018

It’s clear that 2018 is a year of fast and dramatic change in retail; the Centre for Retail Research has said that it expects more change this year than we’ve seen for years, John Lewis has said that this is a time of generational change, and some traditional retailers have found their business model no longer works, and been forced into administration.

It’s against this background of fast change that we present our performance-based assessment of retail strategy and innovation among Top500 retailers. We examine the strategies that retailers are using, through practical examples, case studies and interviews, and through the prism of RetailX research that enables us to cut through to see what Top500 retailers are doing both individually and as a group.

Included in this report:

• Rethink the purpose of stores - a strategic overview of how the industry is adapting its strategies as customers use new ways of shopping
• The Top50 and Top100 retailers of the IRUK Top500 2018 Strategy & Innovation Dimension, measured on dozens of metrics for innovative practice
• Case studies on the performance of Ocado, Dunelm, Hotel Chocolat, The Perfume Shop & Screwfix
• 12 approaches to Strategy and Innovation that work - Whether it is innovative promotions, inspirational content, strategic expansion into new channels, or careful targeting of specific customer segments
• Meet customers’ expectations and why 2021 is your deadline for mobile - perspectives from Barclaycard & Oracle Bronto