http://disqus.com/by/timdanaher/enThu, 15 Jan 2009 08:32:04 -0000http://www.retail-week.com/backingukretail/index.html#comment-5138036<p>Let me explain where we're coming from with this. Retail Week has not, and will never, be a magazine which slavishly says everything in the retail market is great. What would be the point of a magazine which did that? If retailers are trading badly, we will report that, and I expect the vast majority of our readers would expect us to do so. The Retail on the Ropes front page was a response to a specific series of events that week which shook the industry and I make no apology for it.</p><p>Likewise this campaign is not about saying everything in the garden is rosy. On the contrary - we recognise these are extremely challenging times for the industry so we, as the industry's leading journal, think that this is exactly the right time to do our bit to highlight what is good about the industry and its contribution to the economy and wider society.</p><p>If you consider that arrogance then I'm sorry but I consider it part of what Retail Week exists to do. It isn't us blaming the media on here, but other retailers. But may I suggest that your negativity and that of MFlanagan does nothing to help the debate move forward in a positive direction. That said, more than happy to discuss further either on- or offline.</p>timdanaherThu, 15 Jan 2009 08:32:04 -0000http://www.retail-week.com/backingukretail/index.html#comment-5113765<p>In response to MFlanagan, I can see how our headline differs slightly from the BRC's press release, which was headlined WORST DECEMBER IN SURVEY'S HISTORY but I'm not sure many people will interpret that as the lowest ever actual sales in history. I absolutely take the point about the need to focus on detail but you can't argue that the thrust of the story is any different to the approach the BRC takes - see here: <a href="http://www.brc.org.uk/showDoc04.asp?id=3796&amp;moid=6363" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" title="http://www.brc.org.uk/showDoc04.asp?id=3796&amp;moid=6363">http://www.brc.org.uk/showD...</a>.</p><p>On Tesco, the point is clearer which is that the LFL sales increase is significantly lower than Sainsburys and will be much lower than Morrisons, as well as being the lowest recorded by Tesco at Christmas for a decade. The 2.5% figure is also considerably lower than the current level of food price inflation and the TNS market share data yesterday shows it has lost 60 basis points of share in a year. We haven't indulged in reading any more than this into the Tesco numbers - which many people have - because I don't think that's particularly relevant, but it will have been the weakest performer in the grocery sector this Christmas.<br></p>timdanaherWed, 14 Jan 2009 11:03:45 -0000