Home Solutions Sectors Case Studies Our Thinking Careers Our Thinking - Blog Home » Our Thinking » Our Thinking – Blog Our library of original content developed by our in-house Sigma experts, covering a wide range of topics that we hope you find valuable. ALL SECTORSACCOMMODATIONAUTOMOTIVE RETAILLEISUREOFFICERETAIL The power of working with an end-to-end solutions provider By Sigma 21 November As the COVID-19 pandemic reshapes our world, the e-commerce sector has grown exponentially,... Latest Trends in Store Space Repurposing By Richard Oldfield 17 September Driven by new technologies and the rise in online shopping, and exacerbated by the impact of... In-store experience – The Reinvention of Retail By Craig Bennett 17 September Something unusual is happening on the high street. Despite the rise of online shopping and the... Five ways HFSS will revolutionise retail estates By Craig Bennett 13 August Bricks and mortar retail has faced its fair share of major disruptors in recent years, from the... Recognising International Women’s Day 2021 By Sigma 07 March International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and... Boost for schools as Sigma donates raft of new laptops By Sigma 04 March Wakefield and Castleford schoolchildren are set to benefit from Sigma’s new charitable... Sigma are proud to deliver Asda’s first Covid-19 Vaccination Centre By Sigma 29 January Asda hasbecome the first UK supermarket to launch an in-store Covid vaccination service at its... Store Closures – The Key Stakeholders: The Administrator By Sigma 19 January When a company enters administration, it means it cannot afford to continue trading due... Store Closures – The Key Stakeholders: Retailer By Sigma 19 January 2020 was an unprecedented year, with the Coronavirus health crisis and the impact of nationwide... Store Closures – The Key Stakeholders: The Landlord By Sigma 19 January There are two impacts to reflect upon – the period leading up to a store closure and the... Deep Supply Chain – The new normal By Stuart Thomas 06 January Disruption and change are becoming normalised in a way that business has never before known.... Sustainability – the big conversation By Sigma 18 December UK Industry is, by its very nature, a big user of natural resources. With growing concerns... Blockchain – the future of supply chain management? By Stuart Thomas 18 December Transparency, traceability and sustainable trading are all gaining importance in customer... The Future of Post Covid Retail: A Retailer’s Customer Toolkit By Sigma 15 December Customer experience has become a cornerstone of retail; it’s something that brands are measured... Looking ahead to a stronger 2021 By Sigma 14 December Many sectors have been hit hard by a tumultuous year in 2020 but few more than the retail... Artificial and Augmented Intelligence in the Logistics industry By Stuart Thomas 17 November The logistics industry is transforming. The growth of big data, a shift to digital first and... The Future of Post-Covid Retail: The Customer is King By Sigma 17 November Whilst the 2020 global health crisis has changed the retail landscape in many unexpected ways,... Can lighting help drive increased sales in stores? By Ben Tiffany 16 November Atmosphere and ambience are well-established influencers of consumer behaviour and whilst... How the halo effect of hygiene is driving innovation in the commercial space By Craig Bennett 05 November The global health crisis has challenged what we consider to be normal; few could have known at... The Covid-secure ‘Gondola Starter Device’ By Sigma 04 November Demonstrating innovation whilst keeping colleagues & clients safe to ensure the job gets done.... Shining a light on dark kitchens By Craig Bennett 27 October What do Sigma and commercial kitchens have in common? Perhaps surprisingly, the answer is... Why footfall is the new ‘must have’ dataset By Thomas Fletcher 13 October Long before it became a government requirement to limit the number of customers in a single... Why partner with Sigma to deliver your new instore concessions By Sigma 06 October With the growth of online retailing, changing consumer expectations and increasingly... Remodelling the concept of physical shopping By Craig Bennett 30 September As retailers continue to grapple with the transformation of the industry, they must work harder... Managing Store Closures. What You Need To Know. By Sigma 25 September As retailers continue to navigate the challenges of transformation within the industry it’s... The future of post-Covid retail: The current state By Sigma 24 September There has been no single factor driving the transformation of the retail sector, nor the demise... Managing rapid change during the Covid-19 crisis – Part II By Stuart Thomas 30 July As the leading commercial space transformation specialists, Sigma is responsible for keeping... Managing rapid change during the Covid-19 crisis – Part I By Stuart Thomas 15 July As the leading commercial space transformation specialists, Sigma is responsible for keeping... Retail sales boost as we enter a new decade By Craig Bennett 21 February Here we are with the first ONS report looking at 2020 and finally, we can report a slightly more ... The Future of…The Store By Sigma 18 February The Future of… The Store Home » Managing rapid change during the Covid-19 crisis – Part II The... Retail trends in 2020 By Craig Bennett 18 February It’s been another tough old year for the retail sector. Store closures and rationalisation have... SHEQ – An in depth look at Health and Safety By Sigma 05 February SHEQ – An in depth look at Health and Safety with Paul Nowell Home » Shining a light on dark kit... Time to Talk – Sigma’s Mental Health Commitment By Sigma 03 February Time to Talk Home » Managing rapid change during the Covid-19 crisis – Part II Post By Sigma S... What is… High-speed retail? By Sigma 03 February Nope, we’re not confusing ourselves with the rail industry. High speed retail really is a thing... The Future of… Retail Parks By Sigma 03 February Out of town retail parks are quite unique in that they haven’t really changed a huge amount since... The Christmas Grinch takes over any glimmer of retail cheer By Craig Bennett 20 January In an ongoing escalation of the high-street crisis, ONS reports that retail sales volumes fell ... Tackling Sustainability – #1 EV Charging Points By Sigma 15 January Tackling Sustainability – #1 EV Charging Points Home » Managing rapid change during the Covid-19... What does the Future Highstreet Fund mean for retailers? By Craig Bennett 13 January It’s increasingly difficult to know just what intervention is needed to rescue the British high... Is technology taking over our money? …and what does it mean for Retail? By Sigma 09 January In an era where tastes change by the day, opinions can be swayed by the argument of a stranger on... The Future of… Shopping Centres By Sigma 07 January We all watched with interest when Westfield opened its doors in London back in 2008, a shining vi... Retail Sector Struggles To Bring Christmas Cheer By Craig Bennett 20 December It’s been another tough month for retailers in the UK, highlighted by the November ONS report. S... Bringing in the Fit-Out Project Professionals By Richard Oldfield 12 December Embarking on a large-scale commercial fit out is an exciting time. It might be that you’re taking... The Future of… The High Street By Sigma 26 November 2,870. That’s the number of stores that closed their doors in the first six months of 2019. 57,00... Revitalising space with an expert perspective By Daryl Thompson 26 November Whether it’s embarking on a bit of a facelift, revamping the interior of an entire space or und... A Quick Guide to… Geo-tagging By Sigma 19 November Geo-tagging is a pretty new term that falls into the same camp as metadata, geofencing and beacon... Retailers continue to struggle amidst a raft of challenges By Craig Bennett 18 November Sales in the UK retail sector fell 0.1% last month (October) according to data released on Friday... Can 5G really revolutionise bricks and mortar stores? By Craig Bennett 01 November Even if you’re an absolute technophobe, it’s hard to ignore the fanfare around the recent lau... A Quick Guide to… Customer Centricity By Sigma 01 November Customer centricity. It’s pretty simple, right? Take your customer and put them at the centre of ... Releasing the GNFR Genie… Part #1 – Introduction By Stuart Thomas 22 October It has long been argued that GNFR is poorly understood by many key stakeholders in the retail sec... Anti-Slavery Day – 18th October By Sigma 18 October Anti-Slavery Day – 18th October Home » Managing rapid change during the Covid-19 crisis – Part... Department stores continue to suffer as retail sector remains sluggish By Craig Bennett 17 October According to ONS data released today, the UK retail sector is continuing to struggle amidst polit... Cashless Retail – is it time to adopt? By Nino Calandra 10 October Cash is king, or at least it used to be. Because UK retailers are now watching with interest as s... World Mental Health Day #StartTheConversation By Sigma 10 October World Mental Health Day #StartTheConversation Home » Managing rapid change during the Covid-19 c... Retail growth slows as shoppers hold on to their cash By Craig Bennett 19 September In what is becoming the defining narrative for retail in 2019, the ONS has today released statist... Start the Conversation – World Suicide Prevention Day By Sigma 10 September Start the Conversation – World Suicide Prevention Day Home » Managing rapid change during the ... A quick guide to AR By Sigma 02 September We live in a virtual world – smartphones that let us pay for our shopping, apps that let us turn ... IOSH Leading Safely By Sigma 30 August IOSH Leading Safely Home » Managing rapid change during the Covid-19 crisis – Part II At Sigma... Brits continue to part with their cash despite economic uncertainty By Craig Bennett 23 August On the day the CBI has released its quarterly Distributive Trades Survey results we’re continuing... Experiential Retail – Staying ahead of the curve By Nino Calandra 09 August Ask anyone linked to retail trends and predicting the future and you’ll be guaranteed to hear t... Dropshipping – Helping or Hindering the Retail Sector? By Stuart Thomas 25 July In the ever-demanding retail sector, brands are having to work increasingly hard to differentiate... A Quick Guide to… Dropshipping By Sigma 23 July Dropshipping is another relatively new term in retailing that refers to the logistical process of... Surprise boost in retail sales as shoppers hunt for bargains By Craig Bennett 18 July June's ONS retail report shows a surprise bounce in retail sales as bargain-hungry consumers fina... Why the role of FM is so important in the survival of bricks and mortar retail By Ben Tiffany 27 June It’s no surprise to hear the retail sector is in a state of transformation. Headline-hitting news... The curse of the ‘British Summer’ strikes again By Craig Bennett 25 June In figures released by the ONS for May, the gloomy British weather was cited as a leading reason ... Consumer spending for April continues to defy expectations By Craig Bennett 29 May ONS retail data for the month of April released on Friday (24th May) shows a mixed view of spendi... An alternative supply chain solution with a sports retailer By Stuart Thomas 22 May We know just how important it is for our clients to get the products and fixtures they need on ti... Mt Kilimanjaro: The Big Climb: #1 By Ben Tiffany 13 May Hi everyone and welcome to my first blog written in preparation of the ascent up Mount Kilimanjar... A Quick Guide to… Personalisation By Sigma 07 May We don’t mean to get personal, but are you being personal enough in your customer journeys? In th... A Quick Guide to… Omnichannel By Sigma 01 May Omnichannel is a term that is increasingly used when talking about customer journeys and the way ... The Power of Partners in Retail By Thomas Fletcher 26 April The idea of high-street brands teaming up is nothing new – we’re pretty accustomed to seeing a co... Surprise leap in consumer spending in March By Craig Bennett 24 April The ONS retail report, released today, confirms that retail sales have seen their largest year on... Introducing the new Sigma website By Sigma 09 April Introducing the new Sigma website Home » Managing rapid change during the Covid-19 crisis – Pa... Can brands survive without an online presence? By Paul Fahey 08 April It’s hard to think of many retail brands that don’t have an ecommerce platform these days. Wi... Simple guide to retail concessions By Ben Tiffany 19 March They say the customer is always right, and as painful as it may be to agree, when it comes to exp... DTC – the grim reaper for retail stores? By Nino Calandra 11 March Who doesn’t love feeling like they just got hold of a bargain? With consumers increasingly turn... Managing Changes to Store Portfolios By Paul Fahey 07 March 2018 will be remembered for many things here at Sigma, but the most alarming by far was the near-... The Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 By Craig Bennett 15 February Published within the business section of The Sunday Times on February 10th, the esteemed HSBC Int... A Recap of 2018 for the UK Retail Sector By Craig Bennett 21 January 2018 was a challenging year for retail as brands struggled with how best to position their offeri... The Top Five Retailing Trends of 2019 By Thomas Fletcher 21 January From mobile apps to POS material, email marketing to integrated systems, retail thinking continue... In-House or Outsource – The GNFR Conundrum By Stuart Thomas 21 January Paying attention to your GNFR category isn’t just about the spend though. Its also about how it... LAURA CADMAN ACC Get in Touch... UK Tel: +44 (0) 845 521 0258 Email: info@sigmagrp.co.uk The path forward for retail’s sustainable future SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 Our Customers View More Useful Links Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Modern Slavery News Careers Covid 19 Policy Covid 19 Risk Assessment Covid 19 Operational Sites United Kingdom Alpine Court Glasshoughton Castleford West Yorkshire WF10 4TL China Building 5, Hongqiao HUB 99 Shaohong Road Minhang District Shanghai © Sigma Retail Solutions Copyright 2020 | Website by Browndog We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Read More Cookie Settings Accept All Reject All