Wizz Selvey

Whilst we recommend switching to paid returns, there are plenty of other ways to cut returns & their associated costs. ZigZag Founder & CEO Al Gerrie spoke with #FashionCapital to help guide retailers with some top tips to reduce the impact of returns without alienating their customers. https://lnkd.in/enPDkjqx #eCommerce #Retail #ReverseLogistics #Returns #ReduceReturns #CutReturns #ReturnsPolicy #RetailTech

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Despite criticism from some quarters, UK politicians have been keen to welcome SHEIN's upcoming listing on the London Stock Exchange. This includes the Labour Party - highly likely to form the next government - which wants to showcase its business-friendly and pro-growth policies. There will be minimal impact on UK clothing brands and retailers from the IPO itself. Most retailers and brands already compete with Shein for customers and that won't change. The real danger comes from continued pushback from other European markets. While the EU does not have the power to prevent Shein from listing in London, it can place more restrictions around imports and the operations of Chinese marketplaces. As these kinds of things have the potential to damage sales and disrupt profit, they can impact a share price, or the IPO offer price. Thanks to Just Style for including more of my thoughts in the article linked in the comments... #retail #retailnews #marketplaces #IPO #apparel #fashion

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The rise of superhero services: The 7% increase in beauty sales at John Lewis is advantageous for me as a retail artist, especially as we enter Q4, when demand is highest and the pace quickens. Effective, service-driven strategies are crucial for customer retention and engagement. This growth reflects key retail trends, including a rising preference for personalised experiences that enhance shopping enjoyment through consultations, makeovers, and events. As beauty products become more complex, customers increasingly seek expert advice, making product knowledge essential. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok significantly influence consumer ideas and purchasing decisions, making it vital for brands to create engaging content and nurture community interactions. By utilising these platforms, brands can enhance visibility, attract new customers, and drive sales growth, emphasising the need for tailored services and investment in staff training. Charlotte Tilbury has achieved an impressive 230% increase in booking numbers, with 38,000 appointments booked in-store and 73,000 appointments from virtual consultations and masterclasses. This demonstrates the effectiveness of their digital marketing strategies and customer-focused approach. These beauty experiences, both in-person and online, not only engage customers but also educate them about skincare and makeup techniques while promoting Charlotte Tilbury’s products. This success aligns with John Lewis's commitment to investing £800 million in beauty, highlighting the potential for growth in this sector. #charlottetilbury #buisnessstrategy #services #business #marketing

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Here are some interesting stories from the world of retail for Thursday, June 13: 👕 Shares of Oxford Industries fell after the owner of the Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer clothing lines cut its full-year sales and profit outlook, saying that consumers have become more cautious than originally anticipated. 👟 Nike suffered a setback in its bid to trademark the capitalized version of the word “footware” for tech-related products after a European Union court upheld a complaint from German rival PUMA Group. 🛠️ Lowe's Companies, Inc. names chief marketing officer: Jennifer Wilson was promoted to the role and oversees a number of initiatives including the company’s retail media network. 🍋 Amazon Fresh is trying to remind customers it's not just a fancy returns point. The stores are offering a series of grocery coupons for patrons who use the stores to drop off items that they ordered on Amazon. 💍 Kohl's plans to boost sales by expanding its jewelry options.The retailer had previously reduced space for jewelry to make room for Sephora, but now aims to re-establish its presence. 🎯 In an interview with the WSJ, Gretchen McCarthy - Target's supply chain chief - said that a focus on using consumer aisles as fulfillment centers for same-day delivery helped streamline the flow of consumer goods. 🥫 Grocery prices stayed flat in May, after ticking down the month before. But menu prices, a source of frustration for budget-conscious consumers, are still going up — even as restaurants brag about their discounted meals. 🏭 Nordstrom expects to complete the transition of operations from its fulfillment center in San Bernardino, California, to its West Coast omnichannel center in Riverside, California, during its second fiscal quarter. 🍟 California’s new $20-an-hour minimum wage law for fast food workers plunged visits to popular chains as restaurants like McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King hiked prices to offset higher costs, according to a study. 🇨🇦 Canadian discount retailer Dollarama L.P. reported lower-than-expected first-quarter sales growth as consumer demand begins to level off. Rrevenue for the three months reached C$1.4bn ($1bn), up from C$1.29bn a year earlier. 📉 The chairman of the Federal Reserve Board has warned the battle to tame inflation is not over as policymakers signalled the central bank would cut rates only once this year. 🎮 A selloff in GameStop shares on Wednesday corresponded with a surge in volume for call options believed to be owned by Keith Gill, better known by his online handle Roaring Kitty. 📸 Creating another artificial intelligence tool for its sellers, eBay has introduced a photo background enhancement feature to improve product images, the e-commerce veteran announced. 🪧 About 6,000 grocery store workers are set to vote on strike action after the expiration of their union contract with the Kroger-owned Food 4 Less chain. #retail #retailnews #economy #DailyRetailNews

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What Retailers and Brands Need to Do to Address Challenges in the Footwear Market Interesting read ..

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As a retail expert I discussed whether John Lewis & Partners can reverse its fortunes with Drapers news editor Elizabeth Howlett: There's a long road ahead, however, with current turnaround efforts expected to take until 2027/28 to bear fruit. John Lewis's interim results, released on 14 September 2023, painted a bleak financial picture for the retailer as operating profit declined by 6% year on year to £277.1m for the 26 weeks ended 29 July. Its losses narrowed by 14% year on year to £57.3m in the period. “The question is whether John Lewis is going the same direction as Allders, Arcadia Group, Debenhams and House of Fraser,” said Andrew Pepper, partner at business advisory RESOLVE.  (I was Administrator of Allders and advised the lenders on House of Fraser. I see lots of similarities.) “They will look at their property portfolio and look at their most successful premises and their least and explore if there is a way to right size its portfolio to be smaller on footprint, but more profitable.”   Pepper also pointed out that strong staff loyalty has some disadvantages. The partnership currently has a score of 3.8 out of 5 on open company review platform Glassdoor, with 70% of the 4,451 anonymous reviews from current and former employees recommending the company to others, with many citing good wages and employee benefits. While this has been a huge benefit to John Lewis over the years, as it has likely meant lower staff turnover and a good employer brand reputation, it could also mean larger redundancy packages. “John Lewis [and Waitrose] is a lovely place to work, so they likely had good redundancy terms and had people who had worked there for 20 years. Unlike other retailers, the movement of staff through [John Lewis] likely isn't that much,” explained Pepper. “By implication that means you have lots of people working there for 10-20 years, and the [redundancy] cost will be disproportionately higher.” Read more via Drapers, below. https://lnkd.in/eD5JPxHx #ForwardWithReSolve #privateequity #debtfinancing #thebodyshop #restructuring #administration Turnaround Management Association (TMA UK) Institute of Directors (IoD) R3 Association of Business Recovery Professionals Richard Obank Retail Trust #turnaround UK Government Investments (UKGI) Foot Anstey LLP M&G plc Barings BlackRock Russell Jarvis Evelyn Partners Philip Kirkpatrick Kirkland & Ellis Close Brothers Arbuthnot Latham Bank Leumi בנק לאומי UK PNC Metro Bank (UK) Santander HSBC RESOLVE Maddox Legal Limited CMS UK Shawbrook Bank ABN AMRO Commercial Finance Praetura Commercial Finance Arnold Vos Retail Realisation Rothschild & Co #venturecapital Bantry Bay Andrew Buchanan Buchanan #retail British Land Mike Thompson MBE @CVC Capital Partners #ForwardWithReSolve #retailnews #turnaround

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UK takes another step towards end of recession "Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.1% in February, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), despite retail being impacted by record-breaking wet weather. The UK made the incremental step towards a recession-free economy in the face of early 2024 being the fourth wettest start to the year since records began. The 0.1% climb matched City economists’ forecasts after growth in January was revised up from 0.2% to 0.3%. The ONS said: "The largest negative contribution to services growth in February 2024 came from wholesale and retail trade." However, there was 0.2% growth across all consumer-facing services, including retail trade, in the three months to February this year compared with the three months to November 2023." by Katie Ross at TheIndustry.fashion & TheIndustry.beauty Office for National Statistics Liz McKeown #retailnews #gdp #recessionfree

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Trinny London you’ve done it again! A skin & makeup brand. However, there is knowledge and experience that expands beyond this (we all remember the trinny & Suzannah days!) The latest feature they are talking about- colour pallet matching, which includes CLOTHING. Submitting your eye, hair, skin colours and tones. Not only have they created a tool to recommend products, but also…high-lighting what colour clothing is going to compliment your natural beauty best. This for me is true value when it comes to engaging with your audience. It also shows they understand what that audience is looking for…guidance. Knowledge is power. However, once you know, you owe. So pass it on…brilliant work Team Trinny! https://lnkd.in/e2dpp55t

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Tala has secured a £5m investment led by Me+Em backer Pembroke VCT to support the activewear brand's international expansion, with a primary focus on the US market. Read more about Tala founder Grace Beverley and find out the five tips for fashion start-ups from the founder of Pembroke VCT by clicking the link below. #fashion #fashionnews #fashion #Tala #investment

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3 Future Normal Thoughts For Friday. (NB/ these are taken from Greg Isenberg's recent post about the future of retail ... & then seeing Amy Webb's post about purple tomatoes made me think these are far bigger than 'just' retail) *** 1️⃣ 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘭𝘶𝘹𝘶𝘳𝘺. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦. 💡 My 2c - it depends. Humans will only be the new luxury when they are good. 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 > 𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀. I use Steve Ells' (Kernel Foods) quote in every presentation right now – "We’ve taken a lot of human interaction out of the process to leave just enough” *** 2️⃣ 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴. 💡 My 2c - it's not just Amazon, in every sector there's too much noise. You don't necessarily have to be 'weird', but as Alex M H Smith says you have to be different. 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗲𝘀 > 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗲𝘀 (h/t to Amy's post & image, link below) *** 3️⃣ 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦. 💡 My 2c - when AI makes 'everyone an artist', real artistry will be 100x more valuable. Or, as Scott Belsky says, "𝗧𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀... We've moved from being skills-constrained to being imagination-constrained." See link in comments for the full post of 28 provocations...the full list is well worth your time :) **** 🔮 I’m a reluctant futurist who shares daily insights into how you can use today's innovations to uncover tomorrow's opportunities. 🔔 Follow me and hit the notification bell to make sure you don't miss anything 📩 Or sign up to my newsletter for a weekly roundup – link in the comments.

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Cash-rich, time-poor? Ultra-high net worth shoppers have become more discriminating when buying luxury fashion. They expect a higher standard of service and greater access to exclusive lines. In general, luxury has become a bit more democratic so high-end shoppers are looking for a more rarified, special experience which is set apart from the more mainstream part of the market. This includes very personalized service. Enter, fashion sourcers, luxury’s new secret weapon. Fashion sourcers provide a solution by leveraging their global networks to secure rare and exclusive pieces, and by offering clients a seamless and personalized shopping experience. Thanks to Vogue Business for including my thoughts in this article. https://lnkd.in/e2pGG-iG #luxury #retail #retailnews #fashion #shopping

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Some positivity has come out of Drapers’ third investigation into racism in fashion retail. The number of people reporting that initiatives to increase and support diversity in the workplace are having a positive impact has risen dramatically since our last survey in 2023, from 38.8% to 59.2%. Read more details here >> bit.ly/4bfaST5 #racism #discrimination #fashionretail #DrapersInvestigates #workplaceculture

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What's been happening in sustainable fashion week this week? ⬇️ 1) Burberry launched its Childrenswear 'Remake' capsule collection, consisting of surplus fabrics and yarns from previous collections. The new range covers key product categories, and also includes a 'multiple owners label' to encourage pieces to be passed down. 2) BEEN London have partnered with Tate Modern in London to create a limited edition collection of accessories crafted from upcycled banners sourced directly from the gallery's iconic building. The collection focuses on repurposing materials from the banners to give them a second life, whilst also working with next-gen material AppleSkin, made from apple waste. 3) London Fashion Week (LFW) is following in the footsteps of Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) by banning exotic skins such as crocodile and snake from its show collections from 2025. LFW also announced a ban on fur at the end of 2023. 4) German brand ARMEDANGELS has partnered with The Sourcery to transform cotton sourcing through their 'direct to grower' scheme - enhancing transparency and fair trade in cotton farming. 5) SAITEX INTERNATIONAL DONG NAI (VN) Ltd., said to be the 'cleanest' denim factory in the world, have published their latest sustainability report, highlighting a 90% reduction in Co2 emissions, 70% reduction in energy consumption and 30% less water usage across all of its sites. Worth having a look if you work with denim and want to reduce your footprint. 6) The Circle Economy Foundation has released a new report (The Circularity Gap Report) which focuses on the textile sectors transition towards circularity - in partnership with H&M Foundation. The headline states that the sector is only 0.3% circular, below a global average of 7.2%. Link below for inspiration on how to move forward. 7) Looks like it could be a 'Merry Thrift-Mas', as UK consumers are set to spend over £2 billion on secondhand gifts this festive season from insights from a report by Vinted and Retail Economics. 84% of consumers are likely to spend a proportion of their shopping budget on pre-loved christmas gifts. 8) Global Fashion Agenda have launched the 'Upstream Circularity Playbook' aimed at scaling-up recycling operations in textile and garment supply chains. The report aims to help industry scale circular business models by valorising post-industry textile waste (in other words recognising the value in material waste) 9) Karen Millen has launched in-store rental services at Selfridges and John Lewis & Partners in London, in partnership with HURR 10) Looking to other industries - the LEGO Group are switching to paper-based bags in their Lego sets as part of their commitment to reduce single use plastics from their packaging. The new bags are verified as recyclable in the European Union, the United States, and Canada. 🔗 Links to articles in comments #sustainablefashion #circularfashion #enkel Image: Burberry Childrenswear Remake Collection

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Which fashion retailers are charging for returns today? As part of our recent Delivery & Returns report, we analysed the returns propositions of the UK's top 100 fashion retailers and found that 24% of retailers are now charging for returns. This is a significant increase from just a few years back and each month another major retailer announces paid returns. One of the trendsetters, ASOS, becoming a recent example. As the trend continues to grow, will all fashion retailers eventually charge for returns? The answer to that looks to depend more than anything on segment. We found if you categorise retailers by segment, an obvious trend emerges: % of retailers charging for returns Mass Market = 56% Premium = 32% Affordable Luxury = 4% Luxury = 4% Soon Mass Market and Premium retailers will be in the minority if they're not charging for returns. Whereas Affordable Luxury and Luxury retailers have almost completely rejected charging for returns so far. (Link to the full report in comments) #ecommerce #returns #delivery #futureofretail

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Drapers asks top buyers what is on their order books from the spring/summer 25 catwalks: today, Sev Halit, buying manager at END. Read her top picks here. #fashion #fashionnews #retail #retailnews #End #catwalks

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On the subject of customer loyalty in fashion retail… Question: How long does loyalty even last these days? Reply: Difficult to have loyalty when there is a frenzy of continuous change of creative directors. Thoughts? ——- #careers #fashionretail #leadership #customerloyalty #coaching

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"A week after the end of China’s largest online shopping bonanza, one issue is starting to rear its head: The rise of product returns, with some womenswear shopowners seeing return rates of up to 90 per cent." It is bad enough that fashion industry has a long carbon footprint. Now, with the high return rates, it is increasingly becoming non-sustainable not only on environment sense but also financially. No wonder many fashion e-retailers are still non-profitable. The industry clearly needs to disrupt itself to improve. Why the high return rates? Two reasons were cited, bad quality and customer abuse. Both need to be solved at the same time, unfortunately, which make it much tougher. Any other possible reason? Challenging times. Increasingly, the fashion industry has to disrupt itself and go on-demand production/manufacturing. Fast-Fashion maybe at its last leg. With Climate Crisis depleting materials and water resources, carbon credit would soon be enforced on the industry forcing it to cut down mass production and wastes. Connect with me and stay tuned. On-demand production is the future. Walk into a fashion store where you pick your design and materials from the digital screen. Come back in a hour or less, the dress would be put together at the back room of the store where automated sewing machines start working on the dress. Will do a separate post on this with video for better sharing. #Fashion #Disruption #CarbonFootprint #Retail #OnDemandFashion

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🚀 Retail Winners & Losers: The Changing Landscape Of The UK High Street Retail has been undergoing major shifts, and it's clear there are winners and losers emerging. I shared my insights with Anne Ashworth for the DailyMail.com 🔹 M&S is leading a successful turnaround, balancing design and digital innovation, while attracting both core and younger audiences. 🔹 Primark finally stepped into click & collect – but is it too late to compete with digital-first players like Shein? 🔹 John Lewis has struggled with cost-cutting measures impacting customer experience, raising questions about its ability to recover. 🔹 Next continues to thrive with a seamless online and in-store presence, supported by strong logistics and third-party brand partnerships. 🔹 Shein is continuing to disrupt fast fashion, overshadowing brands like H&M with its affordability and rapid product turnover, but raising sustainability concerns. Who are the big winners? Who’s lagging behind? 👇Sign up for my email list in the comments where I will be sharing more detailed insights. https://lnkd.in/eB4dcpv7

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