What impact does the Which? annual rankings of the greenest supermarkets have on consumer behaviour?

By Dr Jennifer TyreeHageman Lecturer in Responsible Business, University of Birmingham In February, the consumer association Which? released its annual rankings of the greenest supermarkets. The ranking system uses three metrics to measure the environmental sustainability of supermarkets: greenhouse gas emissions, plastic usage and food waste generated by the supermarkets. It was good news for … Continue reading “What impact does the Which? annual rankings of the greenest supermarkets have on consumer behaviour?”

Transforming UK Town Centres

By Dr Sarah Montano Department of Marketing, University of Birmingham The BBC have recently reported that in the first month of 2020, almost 10,000 retail jobs have been lost in the UK. The Centre for Retail Research are predicting that this year, due to 17,565 store closures, 171,669 retail jobs will be affected, as compared … Continue reading “Transforming UK Town Centres”

Is Sustainable Fashion an Oxymoron? A Look at Fashion Week and Beyond

By Dr Charika Channuntapipat, Department of Accounting, Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Responsible Business Dr Solon Magrizos, Department of Marketing Professor Craig Smith, Department of Marketing  Fashion Weeks have been around for more than half a century and set the trend for fashion lovers worldwide. Recently, the term ‘sustainable fashion’ has become more popular and … Continue reading “Is Sustainable Fashion an Oxymoron? A Look at Fashion Week and Beyond”

Would an electric car be right for you?

By Isabelle Szmigin, Professor of Marketing The Department of Marketing, Birmingham Business School About 3 years ago we started to drive a Tesla. At first I was sceptical; I thought this will not be powerful and more importantly how far will it go? But while it hasn’t changed my life, my view of electric cars … Continue reading “Would an electric car be right for you?”

Another mall, another high street closure – is there really anything to worry about?

By Professor Isabelle Szmigin, Professor of Marketing Department of Marketing, University of Birmingham While high street retailers will continue to battle their online competition, out-of-town malls, business rates and expensive car parking, they still have their fate in their own hands. We’re already seeing the high street take a big hit in 2018, with Toys R … Continue reading “Another mall, another high street closure – is there really anything to worry about?”

The rise and rise of craft business – the craft takeover?

By Dr Scott Taylor, Reader in Leadership & Organization Studies Department of Management, University of Birmingham Image courtesy of Rob Evans/With Love project that’s the future of craft – the people yet to come, who will maintain the making skills, whether the object is called ‘craft’ or not. Craft beer, craft coffee, craft bicycles, craft … Continue reading “The rise and rise of craft business – the craft takeover?”

How IKEA assembled a global reputation

What has been the secret to IKEA’s success? By Isabelle Szmigin, Professor of Marketing at Birmingham Business School It has been said that IKEA is similar to Marmite, you either love it or hate it. However I think what IKEA has done for home fashion is a little more complex than that. So as IKEA … Continue reading “How IKEA assembled a global reputation”

How Consumer Behaviour Is Driving Innovation in the UK Food Sector: Five Lessons from the Food Industry

By Professor Ganna Pogrebna (Professor of Economics, University of Birmingham) Ian Noble (Senior Research, Development and Quality Director, Mondelez International) Rimi Obra-Ratwatte (Principal Scientist, Global Nutrition, Mondelez International) The year 2017 marks a new chapter in the development of the UK Industrial Strategy, which will address a number of local challenges such as Brexit and growing political … Continue reading “How Consumer Behaviour Is Driving Innovation in the UK Food Sector: Five Lessons from the Food Industry”

‘Tis the season to spend on advertising

What is it about Christmas adverts that makes them so newsworthy? By Isabelle Szmigin, Professor of Marketing at Birmingham Business School As we enter the last days of November, the Christmas ads have well and truly hit our screens. Boots, Sainsbury, Waitrose, Tesco, Debenhams, Marks and Spencer, Aldi and Lidl and not forgetting John Lewis … Continue reading “‘Tis the season to spend on advertising”

How businesses can help curb obesity this Sugar Awareness Week

This sugar awareness week, while we should think twice about putting sugar in our tea and coffee or having that second soft drink in a day, we must also put pressure on suppliers and manufacturers to act responsibly and present us with products that help us reduce our calories and of course tooth decay. By … Continue reading “How businesses can help curb obesity this Sugar Awareness Week”