Express & Star comment: Shopping revolution transforming our high streets
Being a flagship of the High Street brings with it the advantages of prestige and reputation, but events in recent years have proven that even flagships can founder during economic storms.
A shopping revolution has been under way for some time and has been transforming our town centres and what they have to offer, a process amplified by the advent of coronavirus and the resulting lockdowns.
When it comes to retail flagships, Marks & Spencer is a pride of the fleet with a name for quality. There again, there is that saying that quantity has a quality all of its own, and the fact of life in the retail sector is you have to shift the products, and M&S has seen its clothing and home sales fall.
But something is afoot in the world of St Michael and later, Per Una. Marks & Sparks is adding new brands to its website, selling products from other companies as it extends its range.
The question you might ask is why it has taken so long to take such a step which will help ensure M&S has ranges on virtual sale which are relevant to potential customers.
These stores value their loyal customers, but the retail facts of life are that loyal customers are a declining breed and they need to attract the "disloyal" customers as well, those who are looking around for something they like and if they don't find it simply go elsewhere.
John Lewis, another flagship, has meanwhile announced its first ever loss, which is something that will naturally focus minds.
The group, which also owns Waitrose, says it does not expect all its John Lewis shops to reopen at the end of lockdown. Already Birmingham has suffered a John Lewis-sized hole after the department store there did not reopen after the first lockdown.
Before getting too funereal, both John Lewis and Marks and Spencer have proven resilient in the past and despite the current pain are taking measures to secure their futures.
As you would expect, supermarkets have been doing well – or have they? Morrisons has seen sales go up significantly during the pandemic, but profits have nosedived due to pandemic-related costs.
It's safe to say things are changing in the retail sector, yet less easy to say how things will eventually pan out.
