Kevin Hawkins
The Grocer
Kevin Hawkins is an independent retail consultant.
Stories by this contributor.
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150 years of retail revolution
07 Jan 2012
From humble beginnings, UK supermarkets have become the envy of the world. The Grocer has charted every step of their evolution.
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Bleak expectations for 2013 Subscription
01 Dec 2012
Now is the usual time for ruminations about the coming year, so I looked back at the column I wrote last December…
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Continental comparisons
30 Sep 2006
Sir; John Noble (Letters, 23 September, p26) asks why the margins of British food retailers are higher than those of Continental retailers. The Competition Commission's 2000 report on supermarkets reveals that in the late 1990s UK gross...
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Busybodies and disapprovers are on the march Subscription
21 Apr 2012
April is the cruellest month, wrote TS Eliot. In political terms, the present one is also turning out to be the most perverse.
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Decimating town centres? Or benefiting them? Subscription
06 Oct 2012
Do the costs of food store development in town centres outweigh the benefits? It’s time we moved on from the dogmatic…
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Doubt, dither and delay by the government Subscription
03 Nov 2012
Winston Churchill once famously said of Stanley Baldwin’s government: “So they go on, in strange paradox.”…
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Evil at large (or perhaps not...)
25 Aug 2007
The national press rushes in all too quickly to portray supermarkets as exploitative. Perhaps they should report the facts, instead Sooner or later we were bound to have another wave of anti-supermarket propaganda in the media. Sure enough, in the...
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High streets need radical tactics Subscription
27 Aug 2011
Locally inspired and unique entrepreneurial activities could restore vitality, says Kevin Hawkins
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How to deliver the Portas vision? Subscription
22 Oct 2011
Whatever the Queen of Shops proposes will need a realistic assessment, says Kevin Hawkins
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It's everyone for themselves now
17 Dec 2011
With government hands tied, you’ll have to use your ingenuity in 2012
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Lawyers will have a field day with copycat damage claims Subscription
14 Jul 2012
Some big brands are apparently set to take “copycat” brand owners to court, allegedly fired up by “powerful new…
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Kevin Hawkins: People don't do as they say Subscription
11 Aug 2012
Most people don’t change their lifestyles or eating habits quickly. A few weeks ago…
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How consistency in government affairs is exploded by convenience Subscription
09 Feb 2013
Whatever happened to the Big Society? Nothing: it never happened….
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'Horsegate': consumer trust will return Subscription
09 Mar 2013
Media coverage of ‘Horsegate’ was wearily predictable…
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Second Opinion: Fairness is an unrealistic policy
06 Sep 2008
We can only make the best of a bad job in ever-harsher economic times, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Agents of Satan turn nice guys
04 Oct 2008
Kevin Hawkins asks whether tougher economic times will bring an end to supermarket-bashing
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Second Opinion: Are tighter times healthier times? Subscription
10 Jan 2009
Not necessarily, says Kevin Hawkins. Many consumers may seek solace in comfort eating
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Second Opinion: Banning the buffet won't work Subscription
02 May 2009
Strict rules on school dinners won't necessarily make pupils eat healthily, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: A TV plot that just doesn’t add up Subscription
14 Nov 2009
Kevin Hawkins wonders when will the BBC realise there is no evidence of supermarket profiteering
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Second Opinion: Big society must be given teeth Subscription
04 Sep 2010
The PM’s idea will only work if local government is given real power, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: EU retains its relish for red tape Subscription
02 Oct 2010
Mark Prisk’s plans for “one in, one out” will not cut the regulatory burden, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Give us confidence in the future Subscription
30 Oct 2010
Deregulation is vital if the private sector is to create thousands of new jobs, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: A lame case for the prosecution Subscription
08 Jan 2011
The BBC fell on its face trying to dig the dirt on cheap supermarket food, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Bottoms up for local control Subscription
05 Feb 2011
A centralised approach to alcohol pricing won’t stop the binge drinkers, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Finally, a chance to cut red tape Subscription
07 May 2011
But simplifying rules is better than ‘slash and burn’. The public realises this, says Kevin Hawkins
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Less cash, more out-of-town retail Subscription
24 Sep 2011
The high street is losing because it cannot beat ‘big box’ economies of scale, says Kevin Hawkins
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No quick fixes for our high streets Subscription
25 Feb 2012
As the situation in the high street goes from bad to worse, can anything be done to stop the slides in footfall, sales and profits?
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Relaxing trading is a good idea! Subscription
24 Mar 2012
“Giving money and power to the government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys,” quipped PJ O’Rourke.
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New year, new food militancy Subscription
12 Jan 2013
As we step into a brave new year, the Food Militant Tendency is out in force….
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M&S, Tesco, Morrisons - how the mighty have fallen Subscription
04 May 2013
In our industry we have three big retailers who once could do no wrong and are now struggling…
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Second Opinion: Happy hour - last orders at the bar
09 Aug 2008
We may soon see new measures aimed at cutting the ‘irresponsible’ sale of alcohol. So what will this mean for consumers and retailers? I recently read a newspaper report claiming ministers now believe the drinks trade ‘cannot be trusted’ to observe...
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Second Opinion: Grocery is a better bet than most Subscription
25 Oct 2008
Investors willing to play the longer game should consider the multiples, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Shaping the grocery ombudsman Subscription
29 Nov 2008
A workable compromise is achievable if commission is open to negotiation, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Nanny’s no good for our diets Subscription
07 Feb 2009
Regulatory ideals are unattainable and breed distrust in government, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Labels don't shape eating habits Subscription
30 May 2009
Kevin Hawkins on why the latest FSA research has only confirmed what we knew all along
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Second Opinion: So Sir Paul knows best, does he? Subscription
27 Jun 2009
The silly season is well and truly upon us. Sir Paul McCartney urges us to give up eating meat on Mondays in support of the great crusade against global warming.
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Second Opinion: Rip-off Britain in the news again Subscription
25 Jul 2009
...but the drive behind value own label is hardly an inflationary factor, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: It's time to roll back state control Subscription
19 Sep 2009
The Competition Commission's proposal for an ombudsman is flawed, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Scotland should prepare for a hangover Subscription
17 Oct 2009
Alcohol restrictions are both misguided and contrary to competition law, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Give us evidence, not bureaucracy Subscription
12 Dec 2009
The more regulations people are subjected to, the less notice they take, argues Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: The answer’s not in the price tag Subscription
30 Jan 2010
Problem drinking is not as easy to solve as Iain Duncan Smith believes, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Lansley is right to trim the FSA... Subscription
20 Mar 2010
But taking action on below-cost selling of booze makes much less sense, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: If only there had been a shift, Tim Subscription
17 Apr 2010
We need fresh perspectives on food security, GM and state interference, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Minimum pricing doesn’t work Subscription
12 Jun 2010
And determining the right unit price for alcohol isn’t as easy as it looks, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Nanny staters can’t fix bad diets Subscription
10 Jul 2010
Public health policy should shift to understand why people eat unhealthily, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Is retail the mother of invention? Subscription
07 Aug 2010
The Grocer’s survey of top fmcg businesses reveals varying attitudes to NPD, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Help needed for uncertain future Subscription
27 Nov 2010
Government should focus on aiding export markets and business finance, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Price isn’t organic’s only problem Subscription
02 Apr 2011
It needs to help itself out if it is to stop losing out to premium and local lines, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: How can supply chains be ‘fair’? Subscription
04 Jun 2011
It’s doubtful any chain has an equal distribution of bargaining power, says Kevin Hawkins
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Second Opinion: Red tape needs to be final resort Subscription
02 Jul 2011
Retailers may be slow to criticise regulation, but its burden should be lifted, says Kevin Hawkins
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