Kien Tan
@kientan74.bsky.social
Retail consultant and analyst by day, gym instructor and beer drinker by night.
All about shops, pubs, planes, gyms... and the views are mine, all mine.
All about shops, pubs, planes, gyms... and the views are mine, all mine.
Pinned
Kien Tan
@kientan74.bsky.social
· Nov 13
Right. Where are you at #Retail people? Surely you can’t all be hanging out on LinkedIn and Threads? The best retail bantz is gonna be here.
HMU if you want to be added…
go.bsky.app/ThbCH86
HMU if you want to be added…
go.bsky.app/ThbCH86
Reposted by Kien Tan
PwC somehow more lucid on AI and education than most university leaders these days
February 13, 2026 at 6:52 AM
PwC somehow more lucid on AI and education than most university leaders these days
📊 There has been a consistent issue around “seasonal adjustment” of retail sales by the ONS since the pandemic, inexplicably under and over-estimating the impact of Black Friday, Christmas, Easter, school holidays… Looks like this problem has affected GDP numbers too
Today's ONS data confirmed a bit of a pattern: since 2022, Q1 has always been the strongest quarter for GDP growth, Q2 the second strongest and Q3 and Q4 third or fourth.
The ONS looked into this in September and didn't find a problem, but not all economists are convinced...
The ONS looked into this in September and didn't find a problem, but not all economists are convinced...
February 13, 2026 at 8:19 AM
📊 There has been a consistent issue around “seasonal adjustment” of retail sales by the ONS since the pandemic, inexplicably under and over-estimating the impact of Black Friday, Christmas, Easter, school holidays… Looks like this problem has affected GDP numbers too
☔️ Like, you just KNOW there’s going to be a hosepipe ban in summer, don’t you?
February 11, 2026 at 5:57 PM
☔️ Like, you just KNOW there’s going to be a hosepipe ban in summer, don’t you?
🇲🇾 Ok, it’s not *quite* as backward as this article suggests (a lot more than 30% drink alcohol, Carlsberg/Tiger are locally brewed, hoppy IPAs via Brooklyn/Aussie imports), but Paperkite has done an excellent job establishing a true local craft brewery - wish it was better distributed in KL though
It's pretty huge to have a craft brewery in Malaysia. Great snippet this
fredgarrattstanley.substack.com/p/alvin-lims...
fredgarrattstanley.substack.com/p/alvin-lims...
Alvin Lim’s mission to build an independent beer brand for Malaysia
The founder of Paperkite Brewery is flying the flag for beer in a country where most people don’t drink, and making serious progress
fredgarrattstanley.substack.com
February 11, 2026 at 10:27 AM
🇲🇾 Ok, it’s not *quite* as backward as this article suggests (a lot more than 30% drink alcohol, Carlsberg/Tiger are locally brewed, hoppy IPAs via Brooklyn/Aussie imports), but Paperkite has done an excellent job establishing a true local craft brewery - wish it was better distributed in KL though
Reposted by Kien Tan
"Was 2025 as bad as it felt? No. It was simply not the year we all expected. Is 2026 without risk? Absolutely not."
Retailers should double down on the basics of value, quality and trust, believes PwC’s Lisa Hooker.
www.retail-week.com/opinion/im-o...
Retailers should double down on the basics of value, quality and trust, believes PwC’s Lisa Hooker.
www.retail-week.com/opinion/im-o...
‘I’m optimistic about UK retail even though this will be a finely balanced year’
Last year was not the disaster many retailers feared and 2026 will not be without risk. Retailers should double down on the basics of value, quality and trust, believes PwC's Lisa Hooker.
www.retail-week.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:49 AM
"Was 2025 as bad as it felt? No. It was simply not the year we all expected. Is 2026 without risk? Absolutely not."
Retailers should double down on the basics of value, quality and trust, believes PwC’s Lisa Hooker.
www.retail-week.com/opinion/im-o...
Retailers should double down on the basics of value, quality and trust, believes PwC’s Lisa Hooker.
www.retail-week.com/opinion/im-o...
Reposted by Kien Tan
One of the easiest ways to shoot down the idea that "AI" is an expert is to show how it deals with something people know about.
Younger readers may not get this as most appliances come pre-wired, but anyone 35+ can see these are chaotic fire hazards.
From Mastodon, AI asked how to wire a plug:
Younger readers may not get this as most appliances come pre-wired, but anyone 35+ can see these are chaotic fire hazards.
From Mastodon, AI asked how to wire a plug:
February 6, 2026 at 5:20 PM
One of the easiest ways to shoot down the idea that "AI" is an expert is to show how it deals with something people know about.
Younger readers may not get this as most appliances come pre-wired, but anyone 35+ can see these are chaotic fire hazards.
From Mastodon, AI asked how to wire a plug:
Younger readers may not get this as most appliances come pre-wired, but anyone 35+ can see these are chaotic fire hazards.
From Mastodon, AI asked how to wire a plug:
Britain’s barmy planning system:
Got notice of a planning appeal 2 blocks from my flat. Application to paint shopfront black rejected because “not in keeping with the local conservation area”
The conservation area… 🤦♂️
1. Who cares what colour it is?
2. What a waste of time and money
Got notice of a planning appeal 2 blocks from my flat. Application to paint shopfront black rejected because “not in keeping with the local conservation area”
The conservation area… 🤦♂️
1. Who cares what colour it is?
2. What a waste of time and money
February 8, 2026 at 8:49 AM
Britain’s barmy planning system:
Got notice of a planning appeal 2 blocks from my flat. Application to paint shopfront black rejected because “not in keeping with the local conservation area”
The conservation area… 🤦♂️
1. Who cares what colour it is?
2. What a waste of time and money
Got notice of a planning appeal 2 blocks from my flat. Application to paint shopfront black rejected because “not in keeping with the local conservation area”
The conservation area… 🤦♂️
1. Who cares what colour it is?
2. What a waste of time and money
No, no, no... This was an *invaluable* source of information growing up and in my first job(s) - y'know, in pre-Google, pre-Wikipedia times (can you imagine, my kids?). It truly made the world a smaller place.
HT @martysg.com
HT @martysg.com
The Factbook survived the Cold War and became a hit online. It mixed quirky cultural notes and trivia with maps, data, and photos taken by CIA officers. But it was discontinued this week.
The CIA World Factbook is dead. Here's how I came to love it
The Factbook survived the Cold War and became a hit online. It mixed quirky cultural notes and trivia with maps, data, and photos taken by CIA officers. But it was discontinued this week.
n.pr
February 7, 2026 at 11:11 PM
No, no, no... This was an *invaluable* source of information growing up and in my first job(s) - y'know, in pre-Google, pre-Wikipedia times (can you imagine, my kids?). It truly made the world a smaller place.
HT @martysg.com
HT @martysg.com
🤳 Manchester ok, booking-dot-com?
*Manchester*, not Makkah… Just because my fat fingers pressed the wrong city, stop sending me notifications about places to stay and things to do in *Makkah* 🤦♂️
*Manchester*, not Makkah… Just because my fat fingers pressed the wrong city, stop sending me notifications about places to stay and things to do in *Makkah* 🤦♂️
February 7, 2026 at 9:38 AM
🤳 Manchester ok, booking-dot-com?
*Manchester*, not Makkah… Just because my fat fingers pressed the wrong city, stop sending me notifications about places to stay and things to do in *Makkah* 🤦♂️
*Manchester*, not Makkah… Just because my fat fingers pressed the wrong city, stop sending me notifications about places to stay and things to do in *Makkah* 🤦♂️
Reposted by Kien Tan
Because supermarkets are not allowed to "promote" high-sugar food by placing them at the end of an aisle, the puddings in Asda's Valentine's Meal Deal have to be moved around the corner🙄
(Great spot by @dresserman on X)
(Great spot by @dresserman on X)
February 5, 2026 at 1:05 PM
Because supermarkets are not allowed to "promote" high-sugar food by placing them at the end of an aisle, the puddings in Asda's Valentine's Meal Deal have to be moved around the corner🙄
(Great spot by @dresserman on X)
(Great spot by @dresserman on X)
🚨 You can’t say there isn’t a societal problem when 92% of Brits say shoplifting is common, making UK shops appear more vulnerable to crime that literally anywhere else in the world…
Fascinating stuff from @retailweek.bsky.social
Fascinating stuff from @retailweek.bsky.social
February 5, 2026 at 11:05 AM
🚨 You can’t say there isn’t a societal problem when 92% of Brits say shoplifting is common, making UK shops appear more vulnerable to crime that literally anywhere else in the world…
Fascinating stuff from @retailweek.bsky.social
Fascinating stuff from @retailweek.bsky.social
🍺 Niche pub news for City folk:
The Hoop and Grapes on Farringdon Street has finally reopened… and busy with mysterious balloons on the roof… Let’s hope the beer is better kept than before it closed 😬
The Hoop and Grapes on Farringdon Street has finally reopened… and busy with mysterious balloons on the roof… Let’s hope the beer is better kept than before it closed 😬
February 4, 2026 at 7:29 PM
🍺 Niche pub news for City folk:
The Hoop and Grapes on Farringdon Street has finally reopened… and busy with mysterious balloons on the roof… Let’s hope the beer is better kept than before it closed 😬
The Hoop and Grapes on Farringdon Street has finally reopened… and busy with mysterious balloons on the roof… Let’s hope the beer is better kept than before it closed 😬
🧮 One for the tax experts: the £6.50 Pret Meal Deal is to take away. If #VAT is charged on sandwiches to eat in and the saving is £3.30, how much VAT should be charged?
If the whole discount is applied to the sandwich* and not proportionally across all items, then it's 42p, not the 68p charged here!
If the whole discount is applied to the sandwich* and not proportionally across all items, then it's 42p, not the 68p charged here!
February 4, 2026 at 12:34 PM
🧮 One for the tax experts: the £6.50 Pret Meal Deal is to take away. If #VAT is charged on sandwiches to eat in and the saving is £3.30, how much VAT should be charged?
If the whole discount is applied to the sandwich* and not proportionally across all items, then it's 42p, not the 68p charged here!
If the whole discount is applied to the sandwich* and not proportionally across all items, then it's 42p, not the 68p charged here!
Reposted by Kien Tan
I think it was @kientan74.bsky.social I saw talking about a "vibes based recession". Things feel recessiony, even if they're actually not, which ends up manifesting an actual recession.
February 4, 2026 at 10:43 AM
I think it was @kientan74.bsky.social I saw talking about a "vibes based recession". Things feel recessiony, even if they're actually not, which ends up manifesting an actual recession.
🍺 “With every change the beer became more and more enjoyable, says the brewer”
tbh, I quite liked it when it was one of the few consistently widely-distributed Viennas (and then IPLs) 😒
tbh, I quite liked it when it was one of the few consistently widely-distributed Viennas (and then IPLs) 😒
Lost and Grounded Brewers’ popular Running With Sceptres beer is evolving — into a 5.2% ABV IPA, the Bristol based business has announced beertoday.co.uk/2026/02/03/l... #beer #beernews #IPA @lostandgrounded.bsky.social
Running With Sceptres: from lager to IPL to IPA - Beer Today
Lost and Grounded Brewers' popular Running With Sceptres beer is evolving — into a 5.2% ABV IPA, the Bristol based business has announced
beertoday.co.uk
February 3, 2026 at 12:05 PM
🍺 “With every change the beer became more and more enjoyable, says the brewer”
tbh, I quite liked it when it was one of the few consistently widely-distributed Viennas (and then IPLs) 😒
tbh, I quite liked it when it was one of the few consistently widely-distributed Viennas (and then IPLs) 😒
🛍️ Camden Passage has been a bit of a kiss-of-death location for retailers since it stopped being an antiques market… Jack Wills, Superdry, Sofa-dot-com, Amazon Fresh… So is Whole Foods going to succeed where the others have all failed?
February 3, 2026 at 11:23 AM
🛍️ Camden Passage has been a bit of a kiss-of-death location for retailers since it stopped being an antiques market… Jack Wills, Superdry, Sofa-dot-com, Amazon Fresh… So is Whole Foods going to succeed where the others have all failed?
📰 As a subscriber, it's noticeable that the balance of FT coverage has shifted from business to politics. What's there is all good, but I do sympathise with LSEG and sometimes wish there was more in-depth business coverage, because where else are we going to get it?
LSEG axes Financial Times subscriptions amid FTSE coverage retreat
The frequency of the Financial Times' coverage of large cap FTSE businesses has fallen by as much as 70 per cent.
www.cityam.com
February 3, 2026 at 8:35 AM
📰 As a subscriber, it's noticeable that the balance of FT coverage has shifted from business to politics. What's there is all good, but I do sympathise with LSEG and sometimes wish there was more in-depth business coverage, because where else are we going to get it?
Wait, what? Air India crew find a fault with the fuel control switch before leaving Heathrow (the same switch that crashed an identical plane last year with the loss of 260 lives). Then the captain thought, sod it, let's fly this plane to Bangalore before fixing the fault 🤯
Does anyone smell a rat?
Does anyone smell a rat?
Incident: India B788 at London and Bangalore on Feb 1st 2026, flew with defective fuel control switch
Aviation Herald - News, Incidents and Accidents in Aviation
avherald.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:38 PM
Wait, what? Air India crew find a fault with the fuel control switch before leaving Heathrow (the same switch that crashed an identical plane last year with the loss of 260 lives). Then the captain thought, sod it, let's fly this plane to Bangalore before fixing the fault 🤯
Does anyone smell a rat?
Does anyone smell a rat?
Reposted by Kien Tan
The full story of a house of cards built on falsified safety data, and the Singapore Airlines aircraft caught in the middle, when it all came crashing down.
Faking It: The Koito seats scandal that delayed Singapore Airlines’ A380s
A Japanese manufacturer faked seat safety tests for 15 years. When the truth finally emerged, Singapore Airlines’ brand new A380s were caught in the fallout. Here’s the full story of a …
mainlymiles.com
February 1, 2026 at 10:03 AM
The full story of a house of cards built on falsified safety data, and the Singapore Airlines aircraft caught in the middle, when it all came crashing down.
🥡 Huh? Apparently Deliveroos from dark kitchens pose "consequences for public health, by encouraging increased use of takeaways, and greater consumption of fat, salt or sugar"
WTF has where it's cooked got to do with the healthiness of takeaways? 🤷♂️
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
WTF has where it's cooked got to do with the healthiness of takeaways? 🤷♂️
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
January 31, 2026 at 10:20 PM
🥡 Huh? Apparently Deliveroos from dark kitchens pose "consequences for public health, by encouraging increased use of takeaways, and greater consumption of fat, salt or sugar"
WTF has where it's cooked got to do with the healthiness of takeaways? 🤷♂️
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
WTF has where it's cooked got to do with the healthiness of takeaways? 🤷♂️
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
🍺 A later-gram from yesterday, but if you see Steady Rolling Man on cask, then Stop, Do Not Pass Go, Order it immediately 🤤
📍 Sutton Arms, EC1
📍 Sutton Arms, EC1
January 31, 2026 at 9:56 AM
🍺 A later-gram from yesterday, but if you see Steady Rolling Man on cask, then Stop, Do Not Pass Go, Order it immediately 🤤
📍 Sutton Arms, EC1
📍 Sutton Arms, EC1
🤳 Reminds me of a tech client that I once worked for, who wanted me to create a business case for them to open a store on Oxford Circus: “Why can’t you model our sales to be the same as Apple?”
I didn’t want to point out that their brick was, emphatically, Not An iPhone…
I didn’t want to point out that their brick was, emphatically, Not An iPhone…
Staggering iPhone revenue numbers for Apple: $85.27 billion vs. $69.14 billion last year
January 29, 2026 at 9:45 PM
🤳 Reminds me of a tech client that I once worked for, who wanted me to create a business case for them to open a store on Oxford Circus: “Why can’t you model our sales to be the same as Apple?”
I didn’t want to point out that their brick was, emphatically, Not An iPhone…
I didn’t want to point out that their brick was, emphatically, Not An iPhone…
🧅 PSA for those who care about these things (aka: Me):
Spring Onion Taytos are BACK at the Sutton Arms. None of that pickled onion nonsense…
Spring Onion Taytos are BACK at the Sutton Arms. None of that pickled onion nonsense…
January 29, 2026 at 9:34 PM
🧅 PSA for those who care about these things (aka: Me):
Spring Onion Taytos are BACK at the Sutton Arms. None of that pickled onion nonsense…
Spring Onion Taytos are BACK at the Sutton Arms. None of that pickled onion nonsense…
Unpopular opinion alert:
Here’s why hospitality needs to stop asking for VAT reductions:
1 year of Covid-style VAT reductions (5% then 12.5%) would cost *£5bn*.
Prices won’t fall, so consumers won’t benefit.
Profitable operators get more profitable.
So why would the government do it?
Here’s why hospitality needs to stop asking for VAT reductions:
1 year of Covid-style VAT reductions (5% then 12.5%) would cost *£5bn*.
Prices won’t fall, so consumers won’t benefit.
Profitable operators get more profitable.
So why would the government do it?
Slash VAT to save pubs, urges Tom Kerridge
Michelin-starred chef says cutting rate in half would make ‘big, big difference’ to landlords
www.telegraph.co.uk
January 28, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Unpopular opinion alert:
Here’s why hospitality needs to stop asking for VAT reductions:
1 year of Covid-style VAT reductions (5% then 12.5%) would cost *£5bn*.
Prices won’t fall, so consumers won’t benefit.
Profitable operators get more profitable.
So why would the government do it?
Here’s why hospitality needs to stop asking for VAT reductions:
1 year of Covid-style VAT reductions (5% then 12.5%) would cost *£5bn*.
Prices won’t fall, so consumers won’t benefit.
Profitable operators get more profitable.
So why would the government do it?
🥱 Long day, so I was craving a can of Diet Coke… Surely Tesco will have one… But, no, only plastic bottles, and, as anyone knows, It Doesn’t Taste The Same out of a plastic bottle 😒
How can Britain’s largest supermarket not stock probably the single most popular beverage SKU?!
How can Britain’s largest supermarket not stock probably the single most popular beverage SKU?!
January 28, 2026 at 3:36 PM
🥱 Long day, so I was craving a can of Diet Coke… Surely Tesco will have one… But, no, only plastic bottles, and, as anyone knows, It Doesn’t Taste The Same out of a plastic bottle 😒
How can Britain’s largest supermarket not stock probably the single most popular beverage SKU?!
How can Britain’s largest supermarket not stock probably the single most popular beverage SKU?!