Today in the news the latest retailer to sadly close their doors is Thorntons. They are changing their business model to online only. I am not sure how sustainable this is for them or who their audience is? The gift market is a possibility but they will lose a lot of turnover in terms of ‘passing trade’ when the High Street re-opens, especially in the summer with ice-cream sales.
I understand clothing brands moving online as, on the whole, buying clothing is an informed choice. Chocolate on the other hand feels more impulsive. To be fair I haven’t studied their figures so it may be a question of viability – but is it a short term knee jerk reaction rather than a longer term strategy? Up for debate….
I am going to pose this as a question on the Peer Forum and would love to hear your views.
Q. Which shops will be left for us to enjoy ‘shopping’ again as a leisure pursuit?