The need to navigate disruption in the retail industry is “here to stay,” according to the chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Speaking at the Retail Technology Show in London, Helen Dickinson said that retailers have had to cope with a variety of challenges over the past decade including Brexit, the energy crisis, rising customer expectations and the pandemic.

“Disruption is coming from every angle, whether it’s what is happening in the supply chain or what the government is doing,” Dickinson added. “It’s the complexity and the the need to navigate so much rather than one individual thing.”

Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are the latest problem for retailers, and Dickinson said she believes this issue will persist for the next six months.

Retail technology innovation

Speaking about technology innovation in the retail industry, Dickinson said that the EU has put in tight guardrails around what is required for technology providers, but that it is less clear where the UK sits on the issue.

“If we get regulation right, there could be an opportunity to make sure guardrails are in place, but often regulation is not good at staying ahead of the curve,” she said.

Dickinson highlighted that retailers are increasingly turning to technology to prevent retail crime, but this has its own set of unique challenges.

“The interesting thing about the police is that there are around 43 separate police forces around the country,” she added. “If you think about some of these tech solutions then there are over 40 different versions of that that need to tap into each police force.”

State of the industry

Dickinson ended her session by saying that the UK has a “great” retail industry despite these issues, noting it directly employs three million people with a further 2.7 million in supply chain operations.

“From a societal point of view, people who lead the industry at this moment have a responsibility to recognise its importance to society,” she said. "I would encourage them to be agile and resilient to lead their teams through this disruption.”



The Retail Technology Show is taking place at Excel London on 22 and 23 April.

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