1、INDEPENDEN T P U B L I C AT I O N BYRACONTEUR.NET17/07/2022#0817with the consumer.In many cases,they can become a trusted partner,”observes Rhiannon Thomas,partner and managing director at the Kearney consultancy.“Whats particularly inter-esting about the latest shifts is that re-tailers are looking

2、 to meet an end-to-end consumer need,rather than merely of-fering ser vices adjacent to their retail lines.”In John Lewiss case,its about provid-ing“all the services to create the best home for you,including the building.This is similar to Nike offering you all the services to motivate you to run,”s

3、he says.Given that such developments represent a radical form of brand extension,they need to sit well with the retailers existing offerings.Ikea uses solar panels to gener-ate much of the energy required by its stores,for instance,and it sells these products widely in Continental Europe and Austral

4、ia.The firms move into sup-plying renewable electricity therefore seems a logical and appropriate next step.Similarly,its not too much of a stretch to understand why chocolate retailer Hotel Chocolat might have chosen to build a hotel alongside its cocoa plantation on the Caribbean island of St Luci

5、a.Other brand extensions might seem more tangential,but they still make sense.For instance,menswear retailer Flannels has opened a fitness studio on the fifth Elastic brands:retails diversification driveFacing an increasingly uncertain future,several players are branching out,providing services rang

6、ing from rental homes and renewable energy to weddings and workouts.Are these extreme brand extensions a stretch too far?ven before the pandemic acceler-ated the ecommerce revolution,many British retailers were busy transforming their high-street stores into venues offering services and enhanced cus