THE WEEK IN RETAIL ISSUE 54

EDITOR’S COMMENT

SOME GOOD MAY COME OF IT AFTER ALL...

Many retailers that I’ve spoken to over the last year have expressed their sincere hopes that some good may come of the Covid-19 pandemic. For many, it was simply a loosely-defined, general wish that the world could become a slightly better place with more of us prepared to spend a little less time thinking about ourselves and a little more time looking out for each other.

While there are certainly indications that the pandemic brought out the worst in some, there are also plenty of examples where these tough times have forced many to rethink how they view the world and their own lives, often in less selfcentred and more caring ways. Long may that continue.

For other retailers, their wishes were slightly more tangible and concrete. More focus on mental and physical health and wellbeing, more focus on the environment – and there are also plenty of signs that those wishes may also be a step closer to reality. In many ways, Covid has forced everyone to take a fresh look at how they look after themselves, others and their planet.

For my money, there’s no doubt that the pandemic has helped accelerate the sustainability agenda. The need to be working with the planet rather than against it – and to be seen to be

doing so – has never been so heavily prioritised. I probably get a couple of hundred press releases a week and I would say that at least 75% focus entirely or partially on sustainability, in one way or another. If I had to check my inbox a couple of years ago, or even a year ago, that wouldn’t have been the case.

Similarly, the once half-hearted commitment by the grocery and convenience sectors to offering healthier options appears to have moved up a gear or two in the last year. Healthier products are no longer niche – and retailers can claim some responsibility for helping drive, or at least facilitate that shift.

And only today Tesco has announced that its major commitment to making healthier products available to its customers, unveiled last month, will be extended to Booker. The commitment will see the UK’s largest supermarket increase sales of healthier products, increase sales of plant-based alternatives and improve the health credentials of its own-brand products through reformulation.

It’s just another example of Things Getting Better. And these aren’t small commitments. These are important shifts that could have a beneficial impact on us all. The global reset that many predicted after Covid-19 is underway.

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