Like
warring factions the pro renewal and no renewal camps are creating an
uncomfortable environment that is making it difficult to reach a solution. Both
sides want the same thing, a better market, but the current process of
politics, propaganda and 5 minute experts seems a crazy waste of time, effort
and money. We need some science.
One
of our long term traders (45 years with the market) disagrees with both
extremes (pro and no) and says we are focussing on the wrong things. The no
renewal camp are ignoring the realities of a struggling market. The pro renewal
camp are mesmerised by $250m which, if spent in the wrong way, will fix very
little. There is a middle road that is more likely to bring results.
Essentially
he is saying get back to retail basics, and makes the point that retailing is a
science not for amateurs. A full examination of his proposal is beyond this
article but here are the main points -
1. Acknowledge
that we have a market/patient in need of revival.
2. Identify
the core reasons for the patient dying within a framework of historical known
customer drivers - price, choice, convenience.
3. Work on
each of those core reasons and correct them using modern retailing expertise
where appropriate.
4. When the
patient is on the road to recovery (but not before), adopt modern marketing and
advertising practices to encourage, develop and grow.
Retailing
is a science with known behaviours and known solutions. Tweak it a bit for a
public market (just a bit), add in some modern methods of communication, and
you have a framework for gradual correction of what ails us.
This sounds like a debate worth having.