In The Press

'Mad As Hell', New Statesman, May 2007

"'The problem is that the governments of the past 20 years have legally sanctioned poor service and aggressive disregard for consumers by allowing monopolies to grow and then refusing to regulate their behaviour', says Gareth Coombs of Cambridge Strategy Centre."

'Going Cheap', The Guardian, February 2006

"Gareth Coombs of the Cambridge Strategy Centre, a consultancy, sees the social implications [of the boom in discount shopping]: 'People used to define themselves as shopping at a certain level. 'I'm an M&S shopper.' It defined your place in the world. These sort of rules aren't sustainable any more.'"

'The Retail Revolution', The Guardian, March 2005

"Gareth Coombs is a director of Cambridge Strategy Centre, which helps businesses think creatively about their markets. He sees consumers deserting the middle for the extremes. 'There's a polarisation in the market between value, volume brands and niche luxury ones. Since Thatcherism took hold we have become steadily less interested in safe, reliable, tested options and more interested in purchases that give us a new thrill, a reward.'"