Interview

We have to pull together if we’re going to get through this...

by Will Stewart, Founder, Point.1888

I’m brave enough to put my neck on the line and make predictions about what lies ahead for retail and brand licensing but when I did this earlier in the year, it may have looked like I’d got it wrong. In February, I said the 2020s were going to be truly roaring and yet no more than a month later, the high street was closed. This may have only been temporary but the effects of Covid-19 will be long lasting and many brands will sadly never be the same again.

“Covid-19 isn’t going anywhere for some time so we must show resilience and bravery and learn to live with the new environment it has forced upon us... ”

However, despite all of this, the message I declared back in February still stands: “If the teenies were the decade of division, the twenties can be the one of honest collaboration that builds and delivers true purpose.” We need to come together if we’re going to not just survive, but thrive again. I still believe that the 2020s will be roaring for licensing and retail. But first, we must all pause, reset and then tackle this nightmare together if we’re going to emerge from this bigger and better than before. How can I say this with such confidence? Because the pause, reset and collaborate approach was something we adopted in March and it’s working. Let me help you by taking you through it and then let’s help each other move forward. Phase 1 of our recovery plan started at the same time as lockdown and focused on Survival. We knew that if we could control the cash, our business could survive and this was all we focused on for eight weeks. After that, came the adapt / pivot phase, which means we changed and improved everything we possibly could in the business to enable us to be ready for the new world order. Phase 3 – which we delightedly entered on 1 July 2020 – is about venturing out for adventure. We’ve left the cave – our shelter – and we’re ready to hunt, gather and form tribes. This virus isn’t going anywhere for some time so we must show resilience and bravery and learn to live with the new environment it has forced upon us. Sure, it’s scary but it’s also very exciting; provided we work together. We can’t embrace each other so let’s embrace the opportunities instead. The next and final phase is about changing the world. The Point.1888 has always prided itself on breaking away from convention and approaching brand Iicensing from a different angle but now even we need to be braver and bolder. We’re going to have to change a lot more than our approach to make things work. We are ready for when the new world

“Thanks to the virus, retail has never needed licensing more than it does today... we can all thrive during the 2020s... ”

order is in place – kindness and collaboration will rule and true purpose will step into the limelight. If your business follows those values, it shall have a bright future again - come join our tribe. Thanks to covid-19, retail has never needed licensing more than it does today. By collaborating and building long term sustainable partnerships we can all thrive during the 2020s. Consumers still love brands. That hasn’t changed. What has, is a desire to shop like we did before. If retailers are to drive consumers back into their shops, they need new brands. Brand licensing gives them the new and exclusive ranges they’re after. That’s collaboration at its finest. Get ready to hear the roar.