CONFERENCE REPORT CONFERENCE RE


EPORT


J


onathan Reynolds of


the


Saïd


Business School spoke to delegates about ‘navigating the new retail landscape’.


He touched on r etail 30 years ago, when Ikea opened its first store, KFC opened in China, Focus DIY first opened and ther e wer e discussions about


the Berlin wall. “Now there’s another world aleader


about putting up walls. What goes ar ound comes ar ound,” he joked. “The look ahead is challenging,” he continued. “By 2040 the world will not be a peaceful place. W are dealing with the certainty of uncertainty. . Do you need stor es to be a retailer? No you don’t.


eaceful place. We We y. Do y


There is mor e of a move fr om mass towards personalisation. It doesn’t help the multiples but it does help independents.


Competition is coming fr om everywher e. Everyone is a retailer now – with sites like Ebay you can


set up a retail account online from your bedroom.


deal of Vi


taking down talking


Te


Manufacturers, providers and suppliers now also realise the quickest way to sell what they have is to go dir ect to the consumer. T echnology is cr eating a great change in the market .


Te echnolo


Virtual r eality is adding excitement wher e you didn’t expect by using technology that is within our r each. Technology


is delivery also changing


supply chain and logistics and creating innovation. Home is


essential but is an


inefficient and unpr ofitable distribution strategy for firms. Companies are now looking at delivery to intermediaries, which is where independent r etailers could step in. In India Amazon is using mom and pop stor es for the last mile of delivery because these r etailers know their customers so well. Independent r etailers have the opportunity to work with these bigger companies.


We rWea e moving into a time of DIY pr oduction. What does that do to


location when you can print your pr oducts at home on a 3D printer? Again, this is an opportunity for independent r etailers. Yo


You need to think, ‘wher e can we take advantage, as independent r etailers, of the tr ends that ar e moving rapidly?’


The environment is going our way and is very much aligned with our values as an indie, with authenticity , personalisation andy,, personalisation an the fact that smaller businesses are inherently closer to their customer and in tune with their needs. Independents have a greater capacity for local responsiveness.”


uthenticity Size is everything


Discussing the futur e of big-box r etailing and what opportunities ther e ar e for small independents, he continued: “Big is no longer beautiful! I don’t mean ther e isn’t still a requirement for specialist expertise but these big boxes are unresponsive and operate on an impersonal scale.


As an independent r etailer


you can win because you are able to bring in more responsive personalisation at a faster and cheaper rate through improvisation and collaboration. Be mor e agile. Wher e ar e these local opportunities that you can exploit?


Smaller family businesses have high motivation, less bureaucracy lower labour costs and ar e more spirited.


y,,


Large-scale r etiling will no longer be the gateway employer. Working for smaller retailers will be much more rewar ding.”


Wo


www.diyweek.net


16 JUNE 2017 DIY WEEK 19


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