14|Retail News|March 2021|www.retailnews.ie
Retail News Interview
An appeal from the heart After an unprecedented 2020, Sharon Buckley has agreed to continue in the role of President of Appeals for the IGBF in 2021. She explains the impact of the pandemic on the Fund last year and why the coming year could be “even tougher” for the charity. EARLY in 2020, Sharon Buckley, Commercial Director with Musgrave, was looking forward to her year as President of Appeals for the Irish Grocery Benevolent Fund, with a host of events lined up to help raise money for this most worthy of causes, which helps those in need within our industry. These included the Grocers’ Fun Run, the TWIG Networking Luncheon, the IGBF Sporting Legends Lunch and the renowned IGBF Grocers’ Christmas Lunch in early December, which traditionally kicks off the festive season. The advent of Covid-19 changed all that, however, as in-person and social events were cancelled to comply with public health regulations. “2020 began with the Cork Ball and Limerick Ball at the start of the year, but then things changed rapidly after that,” Sharon sighs. While the IGBF was able to host some golf events during the summer of 2020 as restrictions eased, most of the events pivoted into the virtual world, including the TWIG event in December, the Sports Lunch and the Fun Run. “The committees did some amazing work to run those events virtually and keep momentum behind them,” Sharon explains, while revealing that the Fund still enjoyed tremendous support: “Companies were so generous in supporting the President’s Appeal and making financial contributions for events that had been cancelled.” Retail goes the extra mile The Commercial Director believes that as an industry, retail grocery should be proud of its performance throughout 2020 in the face of unprecedented challenges. “The industry has come together through the crises of Covid and Brexit and should be proud of its response,” she states. “People have worked closely together and supported each other, from a business perspective, and that sentiment is there on a human level as well.” “Early on in the pandemic, we saw panic-buying in stores, but we gave consumers confidence that the supply chain was robust; as an industry, we did a huge amount of work in
supporting communities and continue to do so. “Our own business in SuperValu and Centra has a strong community focus and that’s the case for other groups too. Everybody made a significant effort to ensure communities were well-served, whether that be shopping safely in-store, offering click-and-collect or delivering goods to their homes. Demand for online shopping grew hugely during the last year and the sector really stepped up.” She believes that the grocery industry has always proved agile and adaptable in times of crisis “from Foot & Mouth to the Beast from the East. With Covid-19, our industry was quick to respond and adapt, and that gave consumers confidence that shops were safe and they could get what they needed. Their trust in the food industry and grocery retail has been enhanced during the crisis. From in-store colleagues, to drivers and throughout our distribution centres, everyone has gone the extra mile. It has been a long year, but people have demonstrated exceptional resilience. “I believe that when we look back on this time, we will take pride in how we responded to one of the biggest challenges our industry has ever faced.” A challenging year for charities 2020 disrupted business on a scale previously unknown to many of us, with entire industries effectively closed down for months, including hospitality and foodservice. It was also a difficult time for charities. “Within the charity sector, many events and fund-raising activities were cancelled,” Sharon notes. “For the IGBF, we
