I’m reading a lot about companies, even in the run up to christmas, struggling, blaming the economy for “tough” trading conditions (Clinton Cards Chief Exec), and other high street retailers going bust or shutting down a large number of stores.

It strikes me that CEOs and boards are blaming the economy, which is beyond their control, for their own poor performance.

John Lewis (a nice UK department store)  however, saw a 6.2% INCREASE in sales, it’s sister company, Waitrose (UK supermarket) had a 3.8% rise, (waitrose.com, it’s online operation, had a 49% rise).

What does this tell us… Clinton Cards is an anachronism, why would I walk to a scabby little shop on the high street to buy the same shitty cards I can buy ANYWHERE else?

The economy is not good, but it’s not stopping John Lewis, Apple, or a number of other companies, so if I was a shareholder in Clinton, I’d be asking the board why aren’t they doing as well?

Thorntons, a chocolate shop in the UK, has had to shut down a lot of branches, Hotel Chocolat, a competitor, is expanding, not just the  UK, but overseas too. Why?

Thorntons is crap, it’s being selling the same average quality chocolates for as long as I can remember, we are talking over 10 years with no significant changes, Hotel Chocolat offers a premium experience, with prices similar to Thorntons.

If you have a failing retail chain, it’s not the economy, it’s you.