Impact on Retail and Property Sectors

Abstract

Retail Week, the UK trade magazine, shocked its audience at the start of 2011 with the headline: “How many stores does a retailer need?” They went on to say: “The growing opportunity of online retail combined with the heavy costs of operating stores would prompt some to answer ‘not very many’.” This comes from a trade body that is highly influential and which has historically focused much of its news and features on the value and benefits of in-store development and new store design.