Description
Book SynopsisAn insightful review of the collapse of the traditional retail sector in the West, and a roadmap for its potential recovery.Almost weekly, the news is full of stories about disappearing retail chains. From House of Fraser and BHS to Toys'R'Us and Sears, recognised names are vanishing overnight as such large organizations disappear, so the malls, shopping centres, high streets and main streets become emptier and less appealing to visit. No name is safe: in September 2019, Marks & Spencer lost its place in the FTSE100 Index - a sign of just how far its fortunes have fallen.But the retail sector remains hugely important in terms of job numbers: in the US, it employs around 30 million people (directly and indirectly); in the UK, around 10 million. As such, anything that jeopardises the retail sector will have a deep and lasting impact on millions of lives, as well as on public policy. While many blame the Amazon effect', this is an oversimplification. Deeper forces are at
Trade ReviewRetail Therapy bristles with alarming numbers. Before I finished the book I was recommending it to others, particularly because of his powerful analysis of the crisis. It is worth listening to the fixes – some of them controversial – he believes will cure the industry’s ills. -- Anne Ashworth * The Times *
Table of ContentsIntroduction – an overview of the crisis Part 1: Retail A!pocalypse Now! 1.A tale of two bankruptcies 2.The great stores meltdown 3.No longer a nation of shopkeepers 4.Dark Satanic Malls 5.My kingdom for a horse – the knock-on impact on branded suppliers 6.The next big short? 7.Killing more jobs than China 8.A global problem 9.The impact of public policy Part 2: The Causes of the Crisis in Retailing 10.The classical retailing model 11.The rise of e-commerce 12.The broader impact of the technological revolution 13.The generational revolution 14.The death of brands 15.Passing peak consumption 16.Conquering the final mile 17.The dawn of a virtual world 18.This is your fridge talking 19.Algorithm’n’blues 20.Veni, Vidi, 3D 21.See you later, incubator 22.Direct is best 23.Retail derailed 24.Bankers away! 25.Can the last one out switch off the lights? Part 3: How to Save Retail 26.The importance of simplicity 27.Go with the flow 28.Cannibalise, cannibalise, cannibalise! 29.Lean and mean 30.Brand theatre 31.The third space 32.Re-tech 33.Becoming the conversation 34.The price is right 35.Inclusive is the new exclusive 36.Virtuous reality 37.The hacker way 38.Reinventing shared shopping spaces 39.Advice to governments 40.Summary – the new rules for survival
