Human Capital

Our thoughts and opinions on the key pieces of news that have affected the consumer sector. Sometimes we are the ones creating the stories; all part of our belief that to be the best at what we do we need to pursue the exceptional.

2023

February

WELCOME TO THE EVERYWHERE MALL – ‘Digital Twins, Deja You,’ and ‘Netflexing.’ The six key shopping trends of 2030. A retail future foretold.
January

NEW YEAR, ‘NEU’ LOOK? – Taylor Swift champions it. Fashion and beauty marketers are paying attention to it. Will 2023 be the year of ‘body neutrality’?
January

YOUR FUTURE JUST GOT FASTER – Accelerated digital transformation, “blurred boundaries,” and “co-creating” consumers. Six key business trends for 2023

2022

December

SERVE ME UP A SLICE OF SPOTIFY – Rihanna, Beyoncé, Fleetwood Mac, and $16.9 billion global streaming revenues. Why PE firms are taking a big bet on music catalogues

December

WHY STARTUPS SOMETIMES STOP – Harvard Business School’s Tom Eisenmann has the inside track on six common entrepreneurial mistakes to avoid
November

NAKED WINES, STRIPPED BARE – Naked ‘Angels,’ big data, and best-selling ‘book deals.’

November

HOW TO BULID A BILLION DOLLAR SPORTSWEAR BRAND – Six tips from Ben Francis, CEO of Gymshark
November

KIMFLUENCING THE CITY – Will SKKY, Kim Kardashian’s new PE firm, help her beat Serena Williams to uncover the next Beats by Dre?

 
October

FROM WORKING MEN’S CLUBS TO COP 27…
October

WHAT’S NEXT FOR NEXT? – Topshop’s gone. Debenhams too. But Next are thriving. How does Lord Wolfson do it?
September

BUY. EAT. BUT NO REPEAT - Have vegan products been overhyped?
August

THE BIG SLOW DOWN? – Will charging for returns put the brakes on fast-fashion?
 
August

WILL WOMEN'S SPORT BECOME A ONE-BILLION-POUND BRAND? – 32.9 million people in the UK watched women’s sport in 2021, and that was before England became European Champions

July

IS ‘JUNK’ FOOD BEING UNFARILY JUNKED? – Are HFSS products really the ‘new tobacco?’
June

THE INTERNET OF SENSES, 6G, AND OTHER FARFETCHED TALES – How Farfetch’s $200 million investment in Neiman Marcus is all about the future of omnichannel retailing

June

BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID, THE BIG I IS BACK – Inflation is picking consumer’s pockets. And changing the way they shop.
June

ERNEST SHACKLETON AND THE MISSING MENTOR

May

MAMMON AND THE METAVERSE – Alexander the Great, virtual Air Jordans, and $41 billion of NFTs

 
April

TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED – Drayton’s Sophie Edwards talks about infinity mirrors, different selves, and psychometric testing
April

COGNAC AND THE SHANGHAI COGNOSCENTI – Global sales of the sophisticated spirit are soaring with Chinese drinkers leading the way
 
March

WILL BOOTS No7 BECOME BIGGER THAN BOOTS? – The acquisition of the Nottingham company might revolutionise its own-label sales
March

HOW TO GROW FASTER IN PASTA – Six top tips to grow any D2C start-up from Pasta Evangelist’s Alessandro Savelli
March

TUESDAY NIGHTS ON TATOOINE – GroceryAid CEO Steve Barnes talks Star Wars, Brentford FC, and this week’s GroceryAid Ball
March

SATYA IN WONDERLAND – Why Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s $68.7 billion deal to buy Activision is all about the metaverse
 
February

THE PROPHETS OF LOW MARGIN – Decathlon’s visionary approach to sports retailing

January

ME, ME, ME, YOU! – How the world’s pandemic consumers are putting others first
January

IS SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABLE? - Will the pandemic consumer pay a premium to save the planet?

2021

 
December

A VERY BERRY XMAS? – Berry Bros. & Rudd are offering a personal fine wine cellar as a gift. (Prices start at £2,500)

 
December

JUST 2022 IT – Six hotly anticipated trends in next year’s sportswear market.
November

UNEXPECTED COMPANIES IN THE BAGGING AREA?

 
November

IS ETHLEISURE THE NEW NAME FOR ATHLEISURE?
 
November

TAP AND GO, GO, GO – Will the new £100 contactless limit usher in a Xmas retail boom?
 
November

NOT JUST SAYING, DOING – GroceryAid’s annual Diversity & Inclusion programme urges more action.
 
October

EVERYONE'S A WINNER – Five of the key winners from this year’s Grocer Awards.
 
October

NOT SHAKEN. NOT STIRRED – Bond is back.

But can Liberation Cocktails persuade him to sip a pre-mixed cocktail?

 
September

GOLDEN FUTURES? – The five companies competing for ‘Startup of the Year’ at the Grocer Gold Awards
 
September

Visionary Thinking: IS FAR AWAY THE NEW FACE TO FACE?

How shopping in the metaverse will revolutionise retail.
 
September

Visionary Thinking: STEPPING FORWARD TO THE FUTURE...

How L Catterton plans to take Birkenstock to the world.
 
August

HEROES OF NET ZERO – 1 in 3 major UK companies are pledged to a net-zero goal.

FastTrack | 60-second read
 
August

CHILDS FARM GROWS UP – The child skincare company’s launch of adult brand Farmologie is paying dividends.

FastTrack | 60-second read
 
August

RISE OF THE ‘EVERYWHERE RETAILER’- Superdrug’s new ‘Store Insider’ service looks to offer online shoppers an offline level of customer service.

FastTrack | 60-second read
 
July

FROM RUSSIA FOR LESS – Not just no frills, no shelves. Russian discounter Mere plans to revolutionise UK retail.

FastTrack | 60-second read
 
July

The A to Z of B Corp – How doing good can be good for business
 
June

THE RELUCTANT BILLIONAIRES? – How two men who didn’t like business started The North Face and Patagonia.

FastTrack | 60-second read
 
June

THE AGE OF ANTI-AGEING? Inflexion’s purchase of Pangea suggests anti-ageing brand Medik8 is looking good.

FastTrack | 60-second read
 
June

GÜ-ING, GÜ-ING, GONE – PE firm Exponent’s recent acquisition of Gü Puds looks like a shrewd investment.

FastTrack | 60-second read
May

CHANGING WITH THE TIMES? – Reformulation can help food brands navigate the UK’s HFSS legislation. But it’s not without risk.

FastTrack | 60-second read
May

THE ART OF UNSELLING – How beauty brand The Ordinary gained a $2.2bn valuation

FastTrack | 60-second read
 
May

SIX APPEAL – Six key influencers in the beauty market

Six in 60 | 60-second read
 
April

NEW NORMAL Vs OLD – How the global lockdown has changed patterns of consumption

FastTrack | 60-second read
April

THE POWER OF THE PIVOT – Crisis what crisis? Three Consumer Sector lock-down successes.

FastTrack | 60-second read
March

WARY OF PLANT-BASED – Three key consumer insights that may be holding back vegan product sales

FastTrack | 60-second read
 
March

Six key components of online shopper personalisation strategies.

6 in 60 | 60-second read
 
March

How covid-era consumers 'sick of rules' helped shape a new 'Eat Balanced' campaign.

FastTrack | 60-second read

2020

 
March

Greggs' People Director, Roisin Currie, reveals the mystery cultural ingredients no one else can copy.
January

Right Person. Wrong Role. – When being an exceptional candidate doesn’t necessarily mean you are the right ‘fit.’

2019

 
November

CLICKS Vs BRICKS – The high street is dead, but is Amazon bringing it back to life?
 
May

BitZon Vs Google Cash? Can blockchain technology turn the FAANGs into countries?
 
May

The "Weedtail" Revolution is here. Drayton's Rob Seery examines the future of OTC marijuana.
 
March

Principles, protection, and durability – How Fjallraven and Ortovox are leading the way with sustainable fabrics.

2018

December

Rob Seery discovers the food industry might be evolving in ways that can make us all feel more optimistic about sustainability

 
June

Adidas Vs Nike; Drayton's Wayne Mabbott referees the final of the 2018 Brand World Cup.

2023

March