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Putting today’s John Lewis sales drop in perspective

Graham Soult January 28, 2011 Department Stores, Financial No Comments

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John Lewis Oxford Street, London. Photograph by Graham Soult

John Lewis Oxford Street, London

Given how long it’s been since the weekly trading figures for John Lewis department stores last recorded a year-on-year fall in sales, it’s little wonder that the 2.2% sales drop announced today seems to be … Continue Reading

Newcastle update: Wooly Minded and Card Factory open; Bank on the way

Graham Soult July 25, 2010 Fashion Stores, Independent Stores, Property 5 Comments

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Wooly Minded, Clayton Street, Newcastle (24 Jul 2010). Photograph by Graham Soult

Wooly Minded, Clayton Street, Newcastle (24 Jul 2010)

Passing through Newcastle city centre yesterday afternoon, I was able to see what was happening with several incoming stores that I’ve blogged about previously.

In Clayton Street, Wooly Minded has now been trading for a week or two, and indeed features the palette of flying sheep, lime green and … Continue Reading

Newcastle’s Wooly Minded store opening – more details about “the knitter’s paradise”

Graham Soult June 18, 2010 Independent Stores, Specialist Retailers 2 Comments

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Wool display in the North Shields Wooly Minded (18 Jun 2010). Photograph by Graham Soult

Wool display in the North Shields Wooly Minded (18 Jun 2010)

My coverage of the upcoming Wooly Minded store in Newcastle’s Clayton Street seems to have prompted quite a bit of interest on Twitter, so – never one to shy away from a retail challenge – I thought I’d dig around a little further. 

Given … Continue Reading

Card Factory lined up for Newcastle’s Northumberland Street

Graham Soult June 18, 2010 Property, Specialist Retailers 6 Comments

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Typical Card Factory fascia. Photograph by Graham Soult

Typical Card Factory fascia

Newcastle City Council has recently received a planning application for the “display of internally illuminated fascia sign and non illuminated projecting sign to front elevation” for 55-57 Northumberland Street. The applicant, I understand, is the rapidly expanding greetings card chain … Continue Reading

A Woolies twist to every story

Graham Soult February 14, 2010 Property, Retail History, Woolworths 9 Comments

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Former Zavvi, Newcastle (27 Sep 2009). Photograph by Graham Soult

Former Zavvi, Newcastle (27 Sep 2009)

Well, that’s a surprise! I’ve only just discovered that I’ve been photographing and blogging about a former Woolworths store – here, and more recently here – without even realising it. 

While I was vaguely aware that there had been a … Continue Reading

Retailers needs a web presence that informs and inspires

Graham Soult August 27, 2009 Department Stores, Online, Technology 3 Comments

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Image by Zoran

Image by Zoran

I was quite chuffed, this morning, to have a short article on web usability published in The Journal. Much of what I wrote is, or at least should be, common sense: essentially, the need to understand what information your customers are looking for, and to give it to them in a way that is clear and engaging. Though the examples I used in the article related to tourism websites, the same principles apply … Continue Reading

Not what I had in mind for the old Newcastle Zavvi store…

Graham Soult August 26, 2009 Property 3 Comments

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Newcastle's Zavvi store in happier times. Photograph by Mankind 2k

Newcastle's Zavvi store in happier times. Photograph by Mankind 2k

When I remarked a couple of weeks ago that Newcastle’s “Monument Mall would surely welcome the arrival of a strong anchor store” following the closure of Zavvi, a potential new branch of Barclays Bank was not exactly what I had envisaged.

Today’s Journal reports that “some … Continue Reading

John Lewis Bristol and the city’s changing retail landscape

Graham Soult July 24, 2009 Department Stores, Property, Retail History, Shopping Centres 3 Comments

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John Lewis Bristol. Photograph by Mattbuck4950

John Lewis Bristol. Photograph by Mattbuck4950

Perhaps it’s a reflection of my status as a retail nerd that one of the first things I usually do on Friday mornings is check out the John Lewis Partnership’s ‘Weekly Figures’.

These weekly stats are strangely compelling in that – probably uniquely for a major UK retailer – John Lewis publishes a store-by-store breakdown for its eponymous department store chain. Hence, … Continue Reading