Wow, what a couple of years. We have witnessed highs and lows like never before with many of our clients. Some of the most incredible businesses have been crushed by supply issues, and some real outsiders have scored big time on the crest of this wave. No question as we emerge from this hard hitting global pandemic, online retail has gotten stronger. People forced to avoid the high street during lockdowns have become accustomed to shopping online. The Online stores have gained so much loyalty they have permanently changed people’s shopping habits. It has been extraordinary how quickly the retail landscape has changed. That said, our High Street customers are reporting mixed messages. Incredibly several have reported their best ever year in store on top of what they have gained online. What sticks out is the way these retailers have dealt with Covid-19. In one case a 15 year old bricks and mortar retailer that was pretty static for the last 5 years was 40% up in store for 2021, and 25% up online. Not what you would expect. Seeing how they have done it and the penny has dropped as to what the future holds. It’s actually really exciting how circumstances forced upon us has made British creativity search out and deploy incredible new business structuring defiant in the face of adversary.
