MBS Intelligence
Concepts, marketing & creative direction
Evolution by Design: The new menswear department at Harvey…
The first time that I met Mary Portas was in 1990 when I approached her for a search for a visual merchandising director role that I was working on at one of the world's most revered department stores. It was one of...
Bringing the Cars Downtown: The new age of car…
I can’t help being excited and impressed when a fellow South African makes it onto the international stage. After all, South Africa is at the tip of the continent, far away from the centres of big multi-billion...
New York, Part Two: Tyler Hays’ M. Crow &…
My annual trip to look at inspirational and world class retailing in New York last week was not looking good. I went to see the new Barneys store and was hugely impressed, but still I was struggling to find store...
A Window to the Past: Barneys in Chelsea
Recently, a client visited me from Asia - he really understands luxury brands and is an outstanding retailer. We got to talking about where he goes to look at stores and windows to see who is inspirational in the world...
Artistic interventions and the new era of shopping
One of the best things about being in executive search over a period of 28 years has been seeing outstanding people reinvent themselves. I first met Neil McCausland shortly before he became managing director of...
Multiplex: the future of retail?
These days, the question of how to innovate in the digital space is commonplace. Everyone wants to know the formula to make a brand’s online presence powerful, effective and convenient for newly tech-savvy consumers....
Fine dining: experience versus expansion
It felt like something had changed when Michelin released its 2016 guide to the best UK restaurants last month. For as long as I’ve been in London, the criticism you hear time and time again is that the guide is too...
Are pop-up stores the future of physical retail?
I was amazed by a report last week announcing that pop-up stores are now worth £2.3bn to the UK economy. From Google to Ugg boots pop-up stores have become a great way for businesses to market themselves, but it’s...
KidZania: great for parents, even better for children
Last week I went to the opening of a new theme park for children, KidZania, and I was completely blown away. Based around the motto “Get ready for a better world,” KidZania is basically a theme park that allows...
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