Positive Winds are starting to Blow

Over the last three months I have been working with retailers across Europe and the Americas and I feel we are starting to see changes take place in retail land. I had the opportunity to spend some time in Ireland a country that has been particularly hit by the global financial crisis over recent years. The last time I visited the country the retailers were feeling that they could not see light at the end of the tunnel. On this visit I spent time in Dublin and it was great to see new independent retailers being innovators and developing new retail offers. Those retailers who were not developing new ideas were still finding it difficult to grow sales and I suspect that they will continue to struggle. Retailers who are prepared to think outside the box and experiment with new ideas are finding new ways of making sales. This trend will occur around the world although the sped of change may be slower or quicker. The banks are still not supportive of retailers with new ideas and new ideas are having to come from within the business and be cost effective. This is a period of rapid change and that change will see new people come into retailing and alas some of the old traditional retailers will disappear.