Retail Supply Chain Management

Although the year 2020, marked by COVID-19, posed immense challenges for retailers, the trade in fast-moving consumer goods was able to benefit from the fact that public life was shut down during the lockdowns. The 27 EU countries recorded an average sales growth of 5.5%.

Nutravita, a fast-growth e-commerce supplement company, has selected James and James Fulfilment to provide a fully outsourced e-commerce fulfilment service, as it diversifies and enhances its direct-to-consumer (D2C) shopping experience.

BluJay Solutions, provider of global supply chain software and services, has launched its sustainability programme with its approval as a member of the Solar Impulse World Alliance.

ReachFive, provider of SaaS-based Customer Identity & Access Management (CIAM) for retail, has selected Google Cloud for a strategic global partnership that further expands ReachFive’s ecosystem and underlines growing demand from retailers to scale their digital transformation with reliable and secure cloud solutions that allow consumers to access personalised offers anytime and from any touchpoint.

Sports Direct’s new concept store on Oxford Street is claimed to represent a new age in bricks and mortar retail. The space has been transformed into an experiential hub for customers with technology never seen before within this setting.

By Barley Laing, the UK Managing Director at Melissa.

Online retail sales are booming thanks to the pandemic and shoppers increasingly recognising the convenience of buying online. This is backed up by figures from the ONS that reveal ecommerce sales grew 46 per cent in 2020, compared with 2019. The fastest growth since 2008.

Euro 2020 is here and despite the easing of COVID-19 restrictions with pubs finally allowed to open their doors, many fans are expected to cheer on their nation from the side-lines at home, prompting the first ‘stay-at-home’ tournament in a generation.

Retail is facing one of the most challenging periods in modern history and following a year of uncertainty, isolation and furlough, staff will be feeling this pressure in a range of ways.

UK consumers are willing to compromise on online purchases and delivery demands, but only if it creates a more sustainable environment, according to new data.

The pandemic has transformed the high street, with smaller retail brands having to quickly innovate, and global household names becoming more agile to meet consumer demands and expectations.