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Main Topic: UK Retailing at a Glance

Hosts: James Stanworth, Clyde Warden

Guest: Ryan Shu

After a recent trip to the UK, James and Clyde compare and contrast retailing with Greater China. Ryan Shu, an outstanding research student also visited Germany for a presentation, and then the UK along with James.

Retailing is quite different between East and West. One big difference is the clear historical links of retailing design, especially external building designs, in the UK. A big emphasis on a 19th century look,while in Greater China, the link to the past are temples, which themselves are often linked to fresh/wet markets, or, as is often the case in China, historical links simply do not exist, and everything is in flux.

Train stations are interesting retail locations in the UK.  Unlike in Greater China, the space is not very renao, much more integrated with the mainstream retailers like, Tesco and M&S.

Clyde discovered a very Asian looking shopping center, with lots of small shops in Glasgow. Paul, owner of The Booktree, gave us some great insights.

In the end, the gap between the UK and Greater China lies in the passion for business, the hunger to do the retailing.

Modernity should not be linked to box stores.

The Show:

Length: 1 hour 6 minutes. Download MP3 30.76MB (Right click->Save As).

 

Photos:

The dates on my photos are wrong (forgot to set it) and should read 2009.

Bottom Line:

  • Retailing reflects the local culture and we can see some strong contrasts between the UK and Greater China.
  • While consumers do not live in the same compact spaces many do in Taiwan and Hong Kong, there are underlying cultural preferences on the Western side for more spacious retailing in contrast to the Eastern setting.
  • Train service has undergone a lot of changes over the past decades, with service improving recently.
  • Small scale retailing in the UK is often being run by the immigrant community, with a lot of entrepreneurial spirit like what we often see in China.
Category: Podcasts

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