18|Retail News|February 2021|www.retailnews.ie
The Retail News Interview
Facing the challenges head-on
After an unprecedented year, where the grocery retail sector was recognised for the essential service it provides to Irish society, we face into an uncertain 2021. Retail Ireland Chair Brian Donaldson and Director Arnold Dillon reflect on the year that was and the challenges facing Irish retail in 2021. THE impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Irish society cannot be over-stated. At the time of writing, we are still seeing infection levels of well over 1,000 per day, while the death toll from this insidious, invisible killer continues to rise daily. Who amongst us at the start of 2020 would have considered grocery retail the frontline in a battle against a global disease? And yet, grocery stores and their staff have continued to provide a vital service over the course of the
Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring that the country remains supplied with food and drink, while practically every other sector has been shut down or had its activities severely curtailed. “It’s been a bit like a rollercoaster ride,” confesses Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group and Chair of Retail Ireland. “When the pandemic started, nobody really knew what we were facing and there was genuine fear and anxiety amongst frontline retailers. The
guidelines and the textbook had not been written as to how you set up a retail business to protect staff and customers. It really was a very uncertain, uncharted time and retail stepped up to the mark very quickly.” Within a space of just 72 hours, many retailers had formulated a plan of action to ensure stores were safe places to shop, investing in a host of protective measures like Perspex screens, signage and sanitise stations, as well as changing cleaning rotas, ensuring contactless payments, closing seating areas in-store, introducing limits on customer numbers in-store, and rigorously following the changes to guidelines and adhering to public health restrictions. “Retail can be proud of what it achieved within a very tight window,” Brian says, citing his own experience with Maxol, whereby the company established a “war office” as news of the pandemic hit, with management working
