Any idiot can amass intelligence. It is being able to leverage that knowledge. They are good at that.

248

If you have the right offer at the right price, you can enjoy the luxury of pricing integrity. If you are a bit weaker but ahead of the game, you can use some good promotions. But if you're really struggling, you are probably going to have to go on sale, and that's really going to affect your margins.

244

Our forecasts do not anticipate any major increase in retail price inflation ever again. Over the last 10 years, we calculate that women have doubled the average number of items they buy themselves in a year.

149

There's quite a lot of promotional activity out there, more than last year. Retailers are desperate to maximize their footfall and recognize that in order to do that they need to give people a significant incentive to come into their stores.

127

We're in uncharted waters. This deflation is not cyclical. Our forecasts do not anticipate any major increase in retail price inflation ever again.

124

You're not buying someone else's relationships. OK, so if you [do] buy you get a store network and staff but they've all been used to operating in a certain way. This way is baggage free.

61