EDITORIAL How Moss Bros, The White Company, Sweaty Betty and more are adapting as spending moves further online

In today’s InternetRetailing newsletter we’re reporting on how retailers from Moss Bros and L.K.Bennett to Sweaty Betty, The Cotswold Company and The White Company are investing in the face of growing online demand. 

The changes are coming as the way shoppers buy changes. New figures suggest that online demand grew in 2020 and will continue to grow in future, while footfall still lags behind pre-pandemic levels, suggesting a longer-term shift in how – and where – retail happens.

Retailers and brands are adjusting. The White Company, for example, says the strength of online demand for homewares and gifts helped it to mitigate store closures during Covid-19 lockdowns. It now plans to continue to invest in IT and in international expansion. 

Similarly, other retailers are responding to fast ecommerce growth. The Cotswold Company is upgrading its website and replatforming as business moves further online, and Sweaty Betty is now improving the way it handles returns, which have grown in line with increased online demand. Made.com is expanding its warehousing as more shoppers – from both the UK and Europe – buy its homewares over the internet. 

Sustainability continues to be a concern, both for businesses and for consumers. Today we report on how Moss Bros and L.K.Bennett are approaching circular retail, and how DS Smith is now reporting its circular design metrics. 

In today’s guest comment, Derek O’Carroll of Brightpearl argues that Covid-19 has been an extreme stress test for the way that retailers sell – and many have introduced fast delivery and improved customer experiences as a result.