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MULTICHANNELNEWS 09


UK RETAIL MULTICHANNEL TOP PLAYERS REVEALED u Asda has H TOP 10


1. Hash Ladha, Oasis deputy managing director and Ish Patel, Aurora Fashions group omnichannel director


2. Robin Terrell, executive director of multichannel and international and Andy Harding, director of e-commerce at House of Fraser


3. Sebastian Picardo, digital commerce managing director and Mark Hopwood, director of IT business relationships and digital commerce at Burberry


4. Nick Robertson, co-founder and Jon Kamaluddin, international director at Asos


5. Andrea O’Donnell, Lane Crawford executive director


6. Humphrey Cobbold, Wiggle chief executive


7. Peter Fitzgerald, director for retail and Dan Cobley managing director at Google UK


8. Apple


9. Steve Lewis, chief executive and Richard Weaver, e-commerce director at Majestic Wines


10. Tim Steiner, chief executive and Simon Belsham, head of non-food at Ocado


ash Ladha and Ish Patel of Aurora Fashions topped the list of the most influential people


in UK multichannel and e-commerce for 2012, writes Glynn Davis of Retailinsider. com exclusively for Retail Technology. Retailinsider recently compiled


the Top 100 Movers & Shakers list, sponsored by retail software provider K3 Retail for a third year. This year’s report saw as increased focus on people deemed influential by dint of the innovations they are driving within their organisation, or from their work running an original and potentially game-changing retail business model.


This meant there was less focus on individuals simply because they work for a large retailer. This new approach helped throw up some interesting names, including Richard Weaver and Steve Lewis at Majestic Wines, Neal Slateford and Richard Longhurst at Lovehoney, and Nish and Sach Kikadia at SecretSales.com. This new methodology, combined with the dynamism in the industry, resulted in 30% of the people being named for the first time in this year’s report. Once again an Advisory Panel of


experienced retailers and headhunters was appointed to rank the top 20 names from within the 100 people in this year’s overall list. Having collectively selected the 20, they were then individually given the task of ranking them based on criteria including innovation and performance over the last 12 months, and their


ARIELLA TAKES FASHION ONLINE


Traditional designer fashion retailer Ariella Couture recently launched a successful new e-commerce channel (www.ariella.com). Lana Marie Constantine, Ariella Couture creative director, explained: “Ariella, the


company my father founded, has been a bricks-and-mortar trader for over 45 years, yet now recognises the internet is increasingly where fashion is heading.” Fashion e-tailers constantly experiment with ways to bring products to life, using


zoom, product rotation and catwalk videos. But Mark Woods, creative director at Very, said: “Premium fashion lines can sometimes translate poorly online due to the difficulties in displaying the quality of the fabrics and cuts.” Constantine commented: “Video has helped to reduce returns by showcasing products from every angle and increasing conversions by 2.5%.” Ariella Couture was also the first fashion house in the UK to offer 3D. Very and Ariella Couture are also developing virtual fitting rooms, both likely to launch next year.


potential future performance. This created a who’s who that


hopefully highlights the people who are driving great change in the industry and are by extension are playing an influential role in multichannel and e-commerce retailing in the UK.


This is reflected in the inclusion of


Mark Hopwood and Sebastian Picardo from Burberry in third place, as they have been the driving forces behind its cutting- edge digital strategy. Humphrey Cobbold at Wiggle is listed at six because of the innovative way he is creating a category- killing online business.


Natalie Massenet is again in the top 20 – in 11th place – partially in recognition of her continued work at Net-A-Porter, but chiefly for the potential she has of building Mr Porter into a men’s online fashion powerhouse. Other names included for their future potential are John Dickinson at Next in 12th spot and Ross Clemmow at Argos in 18th place who have both been given broader roles at their respective employers –we shall watch their progress with interest.


Another change this year was the


provision of separate sections for consultants and recruitment specialists, service providers and investors, who account for 20% of the names in this year’s report. This highlights the important and influential role that non- retailers are also having on e-commerce and multichannel retailing.


awarded a three- year contract extension to brand campaign managed services provider, HH Global, for the provision of printed media and promotional products. The provider will use its HHub technology to support the productions of Asda monthly magazines, outdoor media, and national and local marketing activity, as well as all events.


u Dixons Retail recently closed down its e-commerce site and will only survive as Dixons Travel shops at airports. Kate Bickerstaffe, UK and Ireland chief executive of Dixons Retail, said it would now focus on pricing and its Currys and PC World brands. She added: “I’m confident that’s the right thing to do.”


SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 RETAIL TECHNOLGY


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