In today’s InternetRetailing newsletter, we look back on how retail has changed over the last long year. For today marks one year since non-essential retail was ordered to close for the Covid-19 pandemic. The way we shop has changed enormously since then, and we consider whether the change is likely to be permanent.
We also report on BRC analysis of ONS figures that indicates the extent of job losses in the retail industry over the last year, with more than 60,000 fewer jobs in the industry this February than last.
B&Q and Screwfix owner Kingfisher Group this week showed the shift to online shopping – and to click and collect and mobile – in its own business as it reported on its latest financial year. It shows that shops remain important to its business model, although it is looking again at how big they are and where they are placed.
We have two stories that show how B2B businesses are updating their customer experience at a time when more people are using the internet to buy. Builders’ merchant Travis Perkins has launched a mobile app that trade customers can use to plan and buy building materials at their own personalised prices. OfficeTeam, meanwhile, is offering a new office supplies subscription service for employers whose staff now works from home.
US online wholesale marketplace Faire is launching in the UK, linking independent retailers with international brands – including those that don’t sell on Amazon.
In today’s guest comment, Nic Pentelow of CitySprint considers the changing shape of retail peak periods.
