After the strangest of years, culminating in a definite light at the end of the tunnel in the form
of various approved vaccines, we cautiously optimistically celebrated the new dawn of 2021
on New Year’s Eve.
Then (although not totally unexpected), crash, bang, wallop, back into a strict lock down,
albeit that it doesn’t ‘feel’ as strict as the one we experienced in April and May last year.
There seem to be more shops open in the high street and there certainly seems to be more
traffic than in the spring of 2020. Where are all these people going if there are no school runs
and people are told to work from home?
It is no secret, nor a surprise, that recruitment in the retail and leisure sectors took a
hammering in 2020. At the same time a fair few businesses closed their already closed doors
permanently and many, initially furloughed, individuals were made redundant at the end of
the summer. A perfect storm indeed...
So, it comes as a slight, but very welcome, surprise that 2021 started with a significant uptick
in (recruitment) demand. Of course there have been retail winners and losers. Of course
digital channels have become an even more important part of most retailers’ strategy. Of
course those businesses who have found some of their competitors disappear now have a
larger market share and of course high calibre talent will always be in demand.
Preparing for the future
It seems that the retail and leisure sector have decided that 2021 will be another tough year,
so we’d better stock up on high performers – individuals with outstanding digital experience,
a financial wizardry background or clever business development experience are in high
demand.
These are the businesses refusing to lie down, that are looking and planning to change their
shape, their customer model and their structure to accommodate to what they anticipate to
be the new retail landscape. All of this points to a year of new opportunities, possibilities and
positive change (I’m trying to avoid the much over-used term ‘transformation’ here).
Hope, excitement and reason to celebrate? Maybe not just yet, but speak to me in Spring...!
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