posted: 12 July, 2019

Welcome to ThisIsRetail, your weekly look at some of the more diverse and unexpected stuff influencing the way we buy, sell and consume in the 21st century.

We’re not a news feed, nor are we algorithm-powered content aggregator. No, we prefer to painstakingly hand-pick the innovative, the new, the stimulating, and the provocative. Expect diverse and, sometimes, esoteric features on culture, politics, travel, art, music, literature, and technology – plus anything else we find intriguing – so long as it’s on a collision-course with consumerism.

So why are we doing this? Well, amid the doom and gloom that clouds the sector, we want to shine a light on some of good stuff going on. We’re optimistic for the future of retail, but it’s up to us all to seize the opportunities it presents.

This week we’re waving our flag for Reggae’s love affair with Clarks, Uzbek electonica, and, as Pride Month ends, we find out what happens to all that rainbow merch once the party’s over.

Let’s get going!

• Rainbow Swag
  What happens to all the merch when Pride is over?
  [Vox]

• Two-Finger Salute
  Why is the humble British Kit Kat big in Japan?
  [New York Times]

• Rude Boys in Sensible Shoes
  The strangely fascinating story of Clarks in Jamaica. Oh, and if you liked that, you’ll probably like this too.
  [Vogue]

• High up the Value Chain
  Weed is a growth industry, but retailers and consumers are both on a steep learning curve.
  [Retail Dive]

• Chasing the Sea
  What Uzbekistan’s first-ever electronic music festival tells us about ecology, democracy and freedom in Central Asia?
  [City Journal]

• A United States of Africa?
  380 million Africans could soon share a single currency.
  [CapX]

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At Retail Management Consultants, we make great stuff happen for forward-thinking retail organisations.

We see the immense connectivity of the modern world and are hell-bent on enabling our clients to seize the opportunities it presents.

Let’s talk. Let’s make it great.