Struggling high street convenience stores must look to technology and seasonality to weather the impact of Covid-19, ex Booker and Iceland boss Bill Grimsey has warned.
Following government lockdown measures, Covid-19 has accelerated the trend from high street to online shopping. The decline in footfall has led to many convenience stores in affected areas having to shut down temporarily.
Now retired, Grimsey uses his retail experience to advise local authorities and high street businesses on how to combat this decline. Asked by RN how retailers on the high street can survive post-pandemic, Grimsey explained: “Convenience is no longer about location and the pandemic accelerated an existing trend.
“There are businesses that were encouraged to use technology to help them, and convenience stores must do the same. In a town called Southwell near Nottingham, one business was offering online baking classes.
“There was also an app to list all the businesses on the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme. HMRC recognised this and provided the addresses of all participating businesses. I urge independent retailers to bang on the doors of their local authorities and ask how they can engage in things like this.”
Grimsey also advised retailers to use concerns around climate change to increase fresh produce sales. “People won’t want French beans flown in every day from Kenya. They’ll want to go back to seasonality to help the environment,” he said.
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