nickshanagher

A great window display seen in central London. Inspirational work.

This photograph from Malcolms Stores, a Costcutter shop in Tile Hill, Coventry, shows how strong a soft drinks display can be - complete with meal deals covering breakfast and lunch. Enjoy the attention to detail and the adjacencies.

While supermodel Kate Moss chose to celebrate national no smoking day by parading down the catwalk in Paris smoking a cigarette, the UK's health secretary Andrew Lansley disappointed local retailers by promising to keep the tobacco display ban - albeit starting at a later date. Retailers are disappointed on two fronts: firstly, there is little evidence that similar bans in other countries are working; secondly, the government, when in opposition, promised it would revoke the ban. Local retailers also fear reputational damage, as in the cartoon from The Sun above. However, The Sun is no fan of the ban saying the display ban smacks of the "overbearing Nanny State." It says the responsibility lies with "parents and grandparents to make sure their kids do not die an early and painful death." A survey in Merthyr Tydfil finds that the average age for children taking up smoking is just nine. One lad, the Sun reports, got hooked at the age of three because his gra...

The October 2009 issue of Which, the consumers' bible, provides a helpful double page diagram revealing 10 secrets of how supermarkets position goods to make shoppers buy more. There will be no surprises for a local retailer who is paying attention but the simplicity of the presentation is useful in thinking about how well you are executing your strategy in-store. "Look right" is tip number six, saying: "Most of us look right when we enter the shop - so that's where supermarkets put current deals...[which] can be brought out at a moment's notice - if it starts raining heavily, you may see umbrellas appear hear". If your layout will not accommodate a 'deals zone', you should still pay attention to what shoppers see when they look right - this will set the tone for their visit. (Also note the presumption to action, with the best stores being able to quickly change their displays and offer. That is quite a challenge!) If you take time to look out ...