Peter Switzer on Sky last week interviewed Ross McDonald from Google about retail. It frustrates me when media outlets get one ‘expert’ who pushes the line which suits the business they represent. A Google representative was always going to talk about retail from a Google perspective.
While there is no doubt that retail is tough, plenty of retailers I speak with are enjoying success in their businesses, attracting new customers and driving more efficient baskets. Independent retailers are more nimble and therefore more responsive to today’s challenges than big retailers who tend to catch media attention.
The Switzer interview is worth watching if only to get a perspective on the structural change impacting the sector. This is real. But so is the positive response from many newsagents to the challenges of structural change.
Totally agree Mark. Many people are educated enough to WANT to support their local shops. The public are not stupid – they understand what is going on with the economy and we are experiencing growth.