Local teams have proved their worth through the pandemic

I’ve been privileged to be part of this year’s Grocer Gold Awards, celebrating the retail sector’s extraordinary response to the Covid pandemic. Amidst the many challenges 2020 has thrown at supermarkets and local stores up and down the country, one of the positives to emerge has been a new appreciation for our local staff. Amidst so much disruption, they’re the ones who’ve kept things going at retail’s frontline, serving customers with so much professionalism, kindness and at times personal sacrifice. 

We hope for better and more stable trading conditions next year. But I would appeal to UK retail leaders not to lose sight of the value of their local teams. We are facing ongoing change and stark regional variations in lockdown restrictions. What works in one part of the UK won’t be relevant in another. Local staff are in a prime position to help businesses navigate this uncertainty, tuning into what their own communities and customers need and delivering it for them. 

So keep nurturing local retail teams so they can do their jobs and serve customers well, with local context. As we’ve seen this year, these shop floor heroes will rise to the occasion for the greater good of our customers, communities and our whole business network.  

 Nicolas Hammer, CEO and co-founder, Critizr