Clipper boss says high street is far from dead

The Leeds-based firm said high street shops are far from dead as they offer shoppers a level of expertise that cannot be found online.

Clipper’s chief executive, Tony Mannix, said: “There has been a lot of noise for a long time about the death of the high street. I think the high street is far from dead. I think the high street is reinventing itself.

“The world in which we are now living is one very much where online and offline are blending together as opposed to it being one of the other.”

He said that many shops are making a major mistake by just handing over click and collect items for shoppers to take home.

“If you order click and collect from some retailers, you’ll arrive in store and you’ll be presented with a box with your name on it,” said Mr Mannix.

“The shop is acting almost like a postal service in giving it to you. In a far more environmentally friendly way, why isn’t inventory delivered to the store with no packaging?

“If somebody came out of the stock room and said: ‘Here’s the dress you ordered. Would you like me to package it so you can take it home? Or if you’ve got five minutes, I’ll help you try it on, make sure you’ve got the right size, the right fit, see if there are any accessories to go with it’.

“We think retail is evolving. If retail is going to be reinvigorated, retailers need to use tools like click and collect and find ways to use stores as part of their overall tool set.”

Mr Mannix referred to the success of stores like Apple which maximises the expertise of its shop assistants.

“Apple has got experts in store who can talk about their products, tell you everything there is to know about their products, but you may well then decide to buy it online,” he said.

“I think the retailers with a store presence need to benefit from that.”

He said that retailers must learn to make more of their staff’s expertise.

“If you look at fashion, one of the reasons fashion is returned is customers say: ‘It doesn’t suit me. I tried it on, the fit is not right for me, I don’t like the fabric, or it’s just not me’. Another reason is obviously it doesn’t fit,” said Mr Mannix.

“If you were shopping in a store 10 years ago, neither of those issues would be a problem because you’d take multiple things into the changing room, you’d try different things on until you found something you did like and then you’d ask the sales assistant to give you two or three sizes and you get the size that fits you and off you go.

“Now if you’re giving a parcel to someone for them to take home and then bring back, what you’re doing is letting that sale walk away from you.

“Sales assistants, in my opinion, should have an easier way to interact with you. If you buy a dress, shouldn’t the assistants be telling you about the shoes and handbag and other things that go with it?

“When I go shopping I like someone to give me positive affirmation that what I’ve bought looks good. I’m not that great at buying clothes. Unless my wife is with me, I need the sales assistant to say: ‘Well, I’d buy that one, not that one’.

“People like that positive feedback. It’s not like buying a laptop when you know what you’re buying.”

Mr Mannix said that if shoppers are buying something that’s more brand led, more aspirational and more personal, they need the ability to touch and feel products.

“The logical reason for that is if you buy from a particular ladies fashion brand that you like, the best way to experience that brand is in a store,” he said.

“You’ve got sales staff who can help you understand, you can see new ranges in their entirety. It’s not like looking on a screen. The best way to get a brand to interact with you is to physically get you into a store.”