OPINION Madison CEO, Dominic Langan
direct-from-factory sourcing, it’s never been easier to create a brand. However, when they disappear, the retailer carries the cost.
Warranty questions. Firmware updates. Spare parts. Awkward customer conversations. Reputational damage. Those hidden costs are rarely factored in when the initial deal is signed. That’s not an argument against newness or innovation. It’s an argument for discipline.
Ranging is one of the most strategic decisions a retailer
makes. Every SKU represents cash tied up. Wall space committed.
Staff training required. Inventory risk accepted. In a mature market, strong retailers curate. Weaker retailers accumulate. The businesses that will thrive in the next phase of this industry aren’t the ones that buy the widest spread of brands. They’re the ones who choose carefully, go deep and build coherence. They know what they stand for. Their staff know what to recommend. Their customers know what to expect, and this builds confidence for the staff and the customer. There’s another uncomfortable truth here. We often talk about margin pressure from online players and direct-to- consumer brands. But how often are we creating that pressure ourselves? When retailers bring in opportunistic clearance lines that
undercut their core ranges, they distort their own pricing architecture. They train customers to wait for deals. They make it harder for staff to confidently recommend premium product. Over time, that erodes value perception across the entire shop. The alternative is partnership rather than transaction. Core
38 | May 2026
suppliers invest in stockholding accessible by retailers, little and often, training, compliance, aftersales infrastructure, marketing support and people on the ground. That investment is made so retailers don’t have to carry all the risk themselves. It only works, however, if there is focus and commitment in return. That doesn’t mean blind loyalty. It means alignment.
Shared planning. Honest forecasting. A mutual understanding of what the business is trying to build over the next three to five years, and not just the next three months. In volatile markets, discipline and cash flow management
matter, and inventory rationalisation and clarity of ranging really matters. There will always be another container of stock to clear. Another brand entering the market. Another “once- in-a-lifetime” deal. The question is not whether those opportunities exist. It’s whether they fit the business you’re trying to build. Are you running a shop that reacts? Or one that plans? Are you filling gaps? Or building a coherent offer that customers trust? Cheap stock isn’t cheap if it ties up your cash, confuses
your proposition and erodes your pricing discipline. As we move into the next stage of this industry post Covid, the winners won’t be defined by how many deals they chased. They’ll be defined by how focused they remained. In a market that has sobered up since the pandemic boom, discipline will beat opportunism every time.
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