With just a month until the general election, political parties from across the spectrum start setting out their plans on how to reinvigorate the economy.
As the largest private sector employer, retail will rank high on the list. We ask a selection of the industry’s leaders what they want from the new government.
Iceland executive chairman Richard Walker
“Over the past few months, I’ve been dedicating quality time to visit Iceland stores up and down the country to listen to the issues that matter most to our 20,000 colleagues and customers. From the fall out of the cost-of-living crisis to unaffordable childcare, we’ve heard the struggles people face day-in-day-out.
“For shopkeepers across the country, the number one retail priority from the next government is to tackle the scourge of shoplifting and violence supermarket stores are facing on a daily basis. Safeguarding shop workers across the country must be a critical component of national and community policing strategies, alongside credible plans for high street regeneration.
“Iceland has invested a lot in supporting people through cost-of-living challenges – from expanding our £1 range to providing access to interest-free micro loans through our Food Club scheme. Now it’s time for the next government to play their part in supporting British high streets.”
Co-op manging director Matt Hood
“As someone who has always worked in retail, I know what an amazing sector it is to build a career with real job satisfaction. I am passionate about the need to bring young people into our retail world and give them the opportunity to develop skills and abilities that can help them establish a strong and broad basis for a long term career.
“Retail has so many elements from the shop floor and depots through to commercial, logistics, marketing and operations, so the variety of roles and jobs is huge.
“My ask of the new government will be to bring focus to the opportunities, including apprenticeships, available for our young people, to give them the chance to thrive and develop exciting and enduring career prospects.”
Pets at Home CEO Lyssa McGowan
“Our focus is actually on the vet side and opening up the Veterinary Surgeons Act, which is now almost 60 years old. The last time that we opened up the Veterinary Surgeons Act or did any legislation related to vets was when we won the World Cup, so you can tell just how long that’s been.
“That’s our primary focus for the next government.”
Card Factory CEO Darcy Willson-Rymer
“What I’d like to see is two things. One is a level playing field across all retail, so making sure that we get a fair and equitable system in business rates.
“The second thing I’d like to see is forward plans over the full time horizon of the parliament. Give us certainty, so tell us what the plans are in the key areas [such as] living wage and around taxation. Give us forward visibility so that we can plan how we navigate that and we can also plan where our investments need to go.”
Stuart Machin, CEO, M&S
“Whoever comes into government, we want them to work seriously with business.
“Retail employs more than any other sector and supports the biggest manufacturing sector in the UK, which is food.
“It’s really important that whoever is in government and whatever changes people want to make, they work with business and we would be more than happy to discuss ideas and be consulted on anything that might change in the future.”
Majestic Wine CEO John Colley
“It feels like the government has more control over our P&L than we do as a business at the moment, when you factor in increases in the National Minimum Wage, and taxes like business rates and alcohol excise duty.
“Retail is the biggest private sector employer in the UK, but we aren’t getting the level of support and engagement we deserve as an industry from Westminster. That needs to change if our island of shopkeepers is to drive future investment, create new jobs and breathe new life into our high streets.
“The business rates regime is a perennial problem that has become archaic in a world of multichannel retailing, and has been a contributing factor in the demise of a number of bricks-and-mortar businesses over the last few years. Retailers have long been calling for fundamental reform of this tax and I would urge the next government to finally deliver on this.
“The proposed new alcohol excise duty regime also needs urgent review. Under current plans, 30 new wine duty bands will be introduced from 1 February 2025 – one for every 0.1% ABV on wines between 11.5% and 14.5% in strength.
“This unnecessarily bureaucratic system will add huge cost and complexity for businesses, threatening jobs and livelihoods – particularly at the 900 independent wine merchants operating across the UK.
“There is also a very real threat that some of the best wine producers in the world could stop exporting to the UK altogether as a result of this additional red tape, significantly impacting the quality and choice that British retailers are able to offer to wine consumers.”
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