The Week In Retail Issue 6

EDITOR’S COMMENT

THE NEXT CHALLENGE: MOVING FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING

Say it quietly, but there are more and more signs that the retail sector and indeed the whole of the UK may finally be taking some steps towards moving into what could very optimistically be termed the ‘post-Covid era’. Boris is eager to get the world moving again while Nicola is taking a more cautious approach but, to be fair to them, they’ve both got some tough ‘rock and a hard place‘ decisions to make. Yes, we need to start moving out of this thing, but the last thing we all need is a second spike in Covid-19 cases.

The more immediate challenge for local retailers is how they go about moving from surviving to thriving, if they haven’t done so already. The last couple of months have been horrendous on all sorts of levels but local retailers are among the few who have seen business flourish as a result.

Coronavirus has shone the spotlight on convenience retailing like never before – and the sector has demonstrated its value. Countless customers have discovered under lockdown that their local store is, in actual fact, blessed with a great range, great pricing and friendly, welcoming staff.

The vital challenge will be how to retain as many of these new customers when the crisis eventually ends. The challenge, as Blake Gladman points out in this issue, is how we pivot from focusing on surviving to focusing on thriving.

There are a few obvious tools available, home delivery being the most notable. But there is plenty that retailers can do now to help increase their chances of retaining this new custom in the longer term. There are signs everywhere we look that tomorrow is not going to look like today – and let’s all hope that it doesn’t look like yesterday either.

We’ve all learned a lot in the past few months and it would be wonderful if we make good use of those learnings to shape a more compassionate, caring and decent future for us all.

SHARE YOUR NEWS AND VIEWS WITH ME AT ABEGLEY@55NORTH.COM