TheRetailer_Autumn_2019

Our own commitment to supporting the industry couldn’t be stronger

Helen Dickinson OBE Chief Executive British Retail Consortium

I would like to extend our warmest thanks to everyone who joined us at the Annual Retail Industry Dinner on the 10th October at the Natural History Museum. The event offered us the opportunity to remind ourselves about the fantastic people at the heart of the industry. We should all be inspired by the energy, creativity and resilience of those around us, always ready to meet new challenges head on, always adapting, always moving forward. Times are changing, and the rate of change is accelerating. We can all recall high street names that are sadly no longer with us. The market is more volatile, technology is more disruptive, than ever before. People will be the key to the industry’s future success. But what do we need from our retail leaders of the future? Traditional retail skills – the right product, in the right place, at the right price – will never go away, but the world we are operating in now is vastly more complex. If we’re to win the war on talent, to find, to develop the best leaders of the future, we need to do more to shake off the image that retail is a job that people fall into. That’s one reason why we created Rethink Retail , a new website addressing outdated views of careers through dozens of case studies of a wide range of jobs currently being done at our members’ businesses. Our own commitment to supporting the industry couldn’t be stronger. We recently launched BRC Learning – partnering with Leeds Business School and Corndel to offer apprenticeships tailored to the needs of our members. Earlier this year we acquired OSS Retail – formerly Oxford Summer School – a leadership development business that provides the leadership training essential to firms’ success. Retail should be seen as a career, not just a job. Only by ensuring we have the best talent embarking on careers in our industry we will be able to navigate and adapt to the change permeating through retail. We at the BRC had a fantastic time organising the dinner as always. It truly makes us proud to work in retail. Watch the video from the night about why our members are #proudtoworkinretail

Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker