Page 36 - RLI March 2019

MARK FAITHFULL

FolloWing

thE monEy

MARK FAITHFULL CRUNCHES THE NUMBERS AS HE LOOKS AT
ANALYSIS AND EXPANSION THAT REFLECTS CHANGING MARKETS

Brits aBroad EuropE’s rEtail markEts arE
incrEasingly polarisEd
ritish brands arrived in Gothenburg,
Sweden on 15 February to appear at nion Investment’s latest Global Retail
Bthe FÖMO Pop-Up Store in Molndals Attractiveness Index (GRAI) shows there are
Galleria and the Department for International U25 points between the current top performer,
Trade at the British Embassy in Stockholm. Portugal, and the weakest market in Europe, Belgium.
The 20 selected brands for the limited-edition This difference is the largest that has been recorded for
concept called British Island are highlighting the index over the past 12 months.
companies and products focusing on sustainability The German retail market remains one of the top
and wellbeing and will be available exclusively at performers globally. Its stable top-tier position is due
the FÖMO Store until 31st March 2019. in particular to consistently strong increases in retail
The limited edition British Island marks sales. Germany is also the only country in the GRAI’s
the first entry to the Swedish market for the EU-12 index to see a slight rise in consumer confidence
20 brands, which have been carefully selected compared to Q4 2017 (+2 points).
and curated by the micro-department format With 110 points, the EU-12 index remains above
store - FÖMO and the British Embassy. average. Alongside Germany (115 points), the top Relative to the North America index, which was
The featured brands are Fat Face (the well- tier includes Central European countries Poland (118 unchanged at 113 points, the Europe index is down slightly.
known fashion chain), plus Christianah Jones points) and the Czech Republic (117 points). Like the The EU-12 index was able to gain some ground compared
(eyewear), NKD Life (environmentally friendly Czech Republic, Portugal scored more highly than in the to the Asia-Pacific index, however. A sharp fall in consumer
water bottle with innovative filter), Kapdaa prior year, gaining two points to reach 121. sentiment in South Korea meant that the Asia-Pacific index
(notebooks), EliRose (skincare), Urban Veda Spain, with 114 points, is in the top five for the first time, declined by 4 points to 106 points, putting it third in the
(skincare), Winser London (fashion), Lana due to particularly strong sales in the Spanish retail sector, global ranking behind North America and Europe.
Siberie (handmade fashion, art, accessories), underlining the optimism being felt on the provider side. France saw the biggest fall. Compared to the prior year,
A.Andreassen (handmade slippers, natural Ireland scored less well (111 points), but despite a the French retail index plummeted by 11 points. This was
fabrics), Memoize London (niche fragrances), marked decline (minus 6 points) still performed better caused by double-digit drops in the two sentiment indicators
Sarah Straussberg Jewellery (handmade jewellery), in the fourth quarter than mid-ranked countries such as and in the inflation indicator. The gap between Europe’s
Closet London (fashion), Dotty Dungarees Austria, Italy and the Netherlands. largest economy, Germany, and France has thus widened
(children’s fashion), I Love Lowie (fashion), Merc Across Europe, the indicator for retail sales further, growing from 6 points to 15 points. France, on 100
London (menswear), Dear Curves (fashion), Miss performance gained a total of 15 points compared with points, is even falling behind the UK (104 points).
Pompom (fashion and accessories), 001 Skincare the previous quarter. Accordingly, the EU-12 index lost At country level, Portugal currently leads (121
London (skincare), Leather + Cotton London very little ground overall compared to the last survey a points), followed by Poland (118 points) and the Czech
(footwear), and ROKA London (accessories). year ago (minus 2 points). Republic (117 points).

physical mEEts digital
n another indication of the marriage between physical and digital retail operations,
Foot Locker has made a $100M strategic minority investment through its
Isubsidiary in GOAT, a managed marketplace for authentic sneakers operating
the GOAT and Flight Club brands (GOAT Group). Over time, Foot Locker and
GOAT Group will combine efforts across digital and physical retail platforms to
create exclusive customer experiences, the company said.
The breadth of Foot Locker’s global footprint and GOAT Group’s digital
capabilities will enable the two companies to “provide an unmatched experience and
elevate customer engagement across the entire sneaker industry. The investment
is also expected to help accelerate GOAT Group’s global operations, expanding its
omni-channel experience and innovative technologies,” the company added.
“At Foot Locker we are constantly looking at new ways to elevate our
customer experience and bring sneaker and youth culture to people around
the world,” said Richard Johnson, Foot Locker Chairman and CEO. “We “In 2015, we pioneered the ship-to-verify model with a mission to bring a
are excited to leverage GOAT Group’s technology to further innovate the seamless and safe customer experience to the secondary sneaker market,” said
sneaker buying experience and utilise their best-in-class online marketplace Eddy Lu, Co-Founder and CEO of GOAT Group. “With over 3,000 retail locations,
to help meet the ever-growing global demand for the latest product. Together, Foot Locker will support our primarily digital presence with physical access points
Foot Locker and GOAT Group’s shared commitment to trust and authenticity worldwide, bringing more value to our community of buyers and sellers. Having
in the sneaker industry will provide consumers with unparalleled experiences Foot Locker as a strategic partner will also expand our business as we continue to
and diversified offerings.” scale our operations both domestically and internationally.”
50 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL NOVEMBER 2018