2 minute read
THE WEEK IN RETAIL ISSUE 47
EDITOR’S COMMENT
WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
Emotional or financial support is one of those things that most people probably never think about – until they need it. But when they do need it, it’s a very pressing need. So it was really encouraging to learn that over 200 companies took part in this month’s GroceryAid Day, the industry charity’s annual awareness day.
Even more encouraging was the fact that over 6.25m people saw the campaign. This is proof that under boss Steve Barnes the charity is making real in-roads into tackling what can be a very difficult issue for a lot of people to even talk about. GroceryAid has done a fantastic job of reinventing itself and making itself more relevant, with outstanding events like the Barcode Festival as well as a raft of fantastic initiatives to support industry colleagues who need help.
And let’s be honest here, sometimes we all need a bit of help. A possible positive to the uniform horror of Covid has been a shift towards a more caring, more open society where it’s no longer embarrassing or shameful to say that you could do with a bit of help, whether that’s a pep talk from a boss, somebody to listen to you when you’ve got stuff that’s weighing you down – or whether it’s far more serious than that. And GroceryAid does deal with some very serious situations indeed.
Unsurprisingly, more people than ever have relied on the support services GroceryAid can offer over the last year – so it’s critical that the charity gets the help and funding it needs to allow it to keep delivering that support. Everyone in our industry deserves to feel that they are part of a fantastic industry that looks after its own.
I must declare a bit of personal interest here as I sit on both the Scottish GroceryAid committee and the national independent retailing strategy group.
One of the most pleasing things to witness over the last 12 months has been how well GroceryAid has reached out to the independent channel. The charity always had a remit to support independents, but I’m not convinced that many independent retailers knew that. For too many years, it was seen as purely ‘grocery’ – which to many retailers means supermarkets.
So the success of GroceryAid Day was fantastic to see, and it’s only the beginning. In tough times like these, our industry needs a safety net and a shoulder to cry on. I would encourage everyone to make sure that their colleagues are aware of the charity, just in case they ever need any of the many services on offer – and I would encourage everyone to support the charity’s work in whatever way they can.
