Pandemic accelerates transformation

We’d stand by that, but gosh, the last year has accelerated these trends beyond what anyone could have predicted. 

Online retail has stormed ahead to such an extent that Omnichannel seems almost redundant, you could almost see a good deal of retailers write off stores and go online for good.

Now of course the High Street will bounce back to some extent when the vaccines roll out to most of the population but there needs to be a sea change in emphasis. Let’s help stores with turnover-based rents, for example, and an imaginative approach to use of space on the High Street.

Indeed, online retailers are picking up once great High Street brands from administrators just for the websites, and in some cases they don’t even want the warehousing (See the ASOS story on Page 46). It is against this background that we bring you our Omni-channel Retail Special Report which starts on Page 31. It is chock full of first rate solutions, systems and advice to help you on your journey.

Minimise downtime

We recognise that minimising downtime is one sure fire way to keep costs under control. This is why we have brought together expert advice from any sources, starting on Page 22. This can be as simple as maintaining basic equipment well, or as complex as deploying predictive maintenance for sophisticated automated systems. It can come down to procurement decisions. If you have a choice between two products, one may be cheaper, but if it brings a lot more downtime, is it really worth it?

Brexit

As The Beatles said ‘we can work it out’. Combilift has set a good example on how to adapt to change (see Page 8).

There may be considerable upside for the UK yet, but there is a long way to go. If the UK joins the trans-Pacific trade group, this should bring a lot of opportunity, despite the fact that distance means that trading low value commodities such as raw materials and food are not likely to be a key part of it. But for services and higher value items, these fast emerging markets could be very important indeed. Key to success, however, will be the ongoing relationship with EU, which is still in a state of flux, despite December’s agreement. The next few years will really test that agreement.

The UK has to dance between the raindrops to some extent, because it must in the long run have a settled and productive relationship with the EU, but at the same time be able to use some unique advantages to build trade, of course without putting the EU’s nose out of joint too much.

Pandemic

We are coming out of a particularly grim few months regards Covid-19, but there are signs of positivity, with the UK leading the way in vaccine roll-out. We salute suppliers from our industry who are assisting in this effort, throughout the world, see Page 11 for two highlights, with Goplasticpallets and Sealed Air both providing transit platforms for the precious vaccines and associated materials.