Dutch retailer Ahold makes strategic move (mistake) into online non-food retailing, just before amazon moves in? (!)

Ahold, one of the largest Dutch retailers and former global retail giant, makes a strategic move by acquiring Bol.com. Bol.com is the biggest online non-food retail brand in Belgium and the Netherlands, realizing double-digit growth year on year and expanding in more and more categories. Started as an online bookstore, just like Amazon, it has [...]

World of Brands

These brands are some of the most appreciated by customers worldwide. There are some real brand-addicts out there, who do anything to be part of the brand, own it, people have posters in their bedrooms featuring these brands, they are associated with football, racing, extreme sports.   If you do more research in where strong [...]

Uncontrollable emotion

14 shops are being closed a day – yours might be next…

1+1+1=3 Right? So, 1. customers can use more channels to shop at (online@home, highstreet, mobile, retail parks), 1. global economic downturn and declining consumer confidence means consumers are spending less and 1. many highstreets fail to create any excitement whatsoever with consumers. 1+1+1=3, with these facts you know you will need to work hard to [...]

Stuck in the Middle: Unfortunately 80% of the high street have no idea who their customers are

Poundland, Harrods, Primark & Louis Vuitton have more in common than we think. They know exceptionally well who their target audience is and how to position their brand and shop for their target audience. Compare this with Total, Thorntons, Superdrug and Comet. I believe they do not understand who their customers are and what they seek. [...]