It has been a busy couple of weeks as we begin the run up to Christmas 2010. In the past week I attended the SmartCompany Smart50 Awards high above Collins Street, Melbourne and spoke at the Retail 2010 Australian Retailers Association (ARA) Conference down in Darling Harbour, Sydney. I shot a piece for Channel 7’s Kochie’s Business Builders program with a small and innovative men’s fashion retailer, The Annex in Bondi, spoke with a prominent retail journalist in Sydney on the role of retailers in Australian business, and travelled north of Melbourne to Echuca for the opening of a major new Bunnings store.
This couple of weeks has highlighted the economic and social importance of the retail sector, not just in Australia and New Zealand but around the world.This importance is further highlighted by the number of retail-related conferences being held this year; more than I can remember in my 25 years in and around retailing and marketing.The conferences are well attended, sponsored by major brands and industry bodies, and attract a wide range of local and international speakers. They are a great source of information, a great place for networking and for the benchmarking of trends in retailing whether they are big and small, new or old, local or international.
At the ARA conference, I met with visiting UK author and retail lecturer Martin Butler and as a result I am now reading his new book The Art of Being Chosen. Martin has had an amazing career working within and alongside retailers. His 30 years in the industry has allowed him to meet and be exposed to hundreds of retailers and their leadership, marketing and buying teams. In the book, Martin has over a two year period captured the thoughts, observations and key strategic vision of close to 100 of the world’s top retailers. These include interviews with the CEO of Zara, Starbucks, plus our own Michael Luscombe at Woolworths and Bernie Brooks at Myer. I can’t pretend to have done anything but skim read a few of the interviews, but I am looking forward to immersing myself in the book over the coming week.
Reading extracts, and watching presenters who have worked internationally and locally, building small retailers into large retailers and working in large national retailers, it became evident that while our market environments change, our wants as a shopper remain the same. When an improvement is made in one part of the world we all want it; whether it’s more convenient locations, bigger or smaller stores, earlier or later opening times or more widely available and less restrictive retailing laws.
This is particularly evident around alcohol and prescription drugs. Importantly as you look at these trends evolve, you realise it’s not “big bad corporations” pushing them, but us as shoppers wanting them. Retailers can have the biggest international brands and then spend as much as they like on fit outs, marketing and promotion, but if we as shoppers aren’t moved, it just doesn’t work.
Where’s the proof in Australia? The Ford Explorer is one of the largest selling SUVs in North America but the response here was underwhelming. Ford developed the Territory locally however which continues to sell well. Starbucks in its entirety didn’t fly and Burger King still plays second fiddle to Hungry Jacks.
I often use the phrase that to really understand retailing, to truly seek new trends and apply them to our businesses, we need to “shop around the corner and shop around the world.” Retail conferences are a good way to do that in a cost effective and time efficient way.
In his role as CEO of CROSSMARK, Kevin Moore looks at the world of retailing from grocery to pharmacy, bottle shops to car dealers, corner store to department stores. In this insightful blog, Kevin covers retail news, ideas, companies and emerging opportunities in Australia, NZ, the US and Europe. His international career in sales and marketing has seen him responsible for business in over 40 countries, which has earned him grey hair and a wealth of expertise in international retailers and brands. CROSSMARK Asia Pacific is Australasia’s largest provider of retail marketing services, consulting to and servicing some of Australasia’s biggest retailers and manufacturers.
Smart Company is the leading online publication in Australia for free news, information and resources catering to Australia’s entrepreneurs, small and medium business owners and business managers.
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