Retail

Traditional Retailers Should Celebrate In-Store Interaction

Traditional retailers are making the wrong technology investment or delivering the wrong in-store experience, which leaves them with increasingly harsh criticism from both customers and analysts. Craig Summers, UK Managing Director, Manhattan Associates, explains why retailers cannot hope to compete with the disruptors unless they stop playing inept catch up

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New Retail and Leisure Complex Opens in Leeds

‘The Springs’ retail and leisure complex at Thorpe Park Leeds was launched last week, following the successful completion of building work by GMI Construction Group. The project was delivered across an 80-week phasing programme that coincided with a gas main diversion and major civils work being carried out on adjacent

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Latest Issue
Issue 326 : Mar 2025

Retail

Traditional Retailers Should Celebrate In-Store Interaction

Traditional retailers are making the wrong technology investment or delivering the wrong in-store experience, which leaves them with increasingly harsh criticism from both customers and analysts. Craig Summers, UK Managing Director, Manhattan Associates, explains why retailers cannot hope to compete with the disruptors unless they stop playing inept catch up and instead celebrate the value of the in-store interaction with truly empowered store associates able to deliver something far more engaging and valuable than any online experience. Lost Cause As long established family favourites vanish from the high street it appears the pure play disruptors, which are essentially tech companies, have won the hearts and minds of customers and the writing is on the wall for old style retail. But is that really the case? Far too many traditional retailers remain inherently scared of technology and it’s this fear of failure  – fear of making the wrong technology investment, of creating the wrong in-store atmosphere – that is destroying the high street. From price match offers that take 24 hours to confirm to compelling customers to complete time consuming and irrelevant customer surveys during check-out, the high street is littered with examples of ill-considered attempts to copy slick online models in-store. It doesn’t work, especially when the technology deployed is years behind that of the disruptors. It is all wrong and it fundamentally misses the point. Golden Egg Online retail has not removed customers’ desire to buy in store or interact with sales assistants; what it has done has been to raise customers’ expectations of that experience. It is incredibly simple: people still want to come in store and be served; they want to interact with an enthusiastic and engaged individual, someone who not only knows the products – and can share experiences – but is also able to locate any item anywhere in the supply chain in real time and get that item to the customer quickly, in any location. Rather than complaining about the pure plays’ low cost infrastructure and lack of real estate overhead, traditional retailers need to stop viewing the high street as the Achilles heel and think of the retail store as the golden egg. That means investing in technology that delivers the complete supply chain visibility and mobile point of sale that ensures store associates can be continuously engaged with customers anywhere on the shop floor and also investing in high quality sales staff. Attempting to ‘become Amazon’ in two years; or replicate the model of the pure play competitor over the next 18 months is never going to work: the competition is too fast, too slick and too tech savvy. Playing catch up will result in the end of the high street. What is required is a willingness to disrupt the disruptors, to leverage the advantage of a tangible personal experience and quickly exploit relevant technology to deliver an outstanding in-store experience.

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New Retail and Leisure Complex Opens in Leeds

‘The Springs’ retail and leisure complex at Thorpe Park Leeds was launched last week, following the successful completion of building work by GMI Construction Group. The project was delivered across an 80-week phasing programme that coincided with a gas main diversion and major civils work being carried out on adjacent plots. Part of a wider 1.35 million sq ft development plan in phase two development at Thorpe Park Leeds, The Springs project was handled by Scarborough International Properties Limited (SIPL), the UK and international real estate developer and its joint venture partner Legal & General. “We were delighted to launch The Springs last week in partnership with a great team at GMI Construction. With historical knowledge of the site, which wasn’t without its challenges, GMI has shown great tenacity and outstanding flexibility in accommodating the demands of the project and its many changes to deliver a project of exceptional quality that sets a precedent across the UK. GMI had also worked closely with our team to exceed our commitment to creating new jobs and inspiring careers for young people in the region,” said Simon Marshall, Joint Chief Executive at Scarborough International Properties. The brands part of The Springs include M&S Foodhall, H&M, Next, TK Maxx, Outfit, Boots and leisure brands such as Nando’s, Gino D’Acampo’s My Restaurant and Pure Gym. A 44,000 sq ft, 10-screen ODEON offering state of the art screen and audio technology and luxury seating, is also due to open in Spring 2019 with other high street leisure and retail occupiers due to be announced over the coming weeks. “The Springs looked amazing on opening and my thanks have to go to the team at GMI Construction who worked tirelessly from start to finish. We were very clear from the start that we wanted The Springs to stand out as an out of town retail and leisure destination of the future and GMI have played a critical role in helping us achieve this vision,” concluded Gordon Aitchison, Director, Head of Transactions at LGIM Real Assets.

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