The BRC’s manifesto is call ‘Accelerating investment in the everywhere economy’ and lays our a vision for a better retail future.
In its manifesto, the BRC’s vision is outlined as ‘a net zero, digitally transformed industry which provides higher skilled, better paid jobs and an improved shopping experience for customers’.
To help realise this vision, the consortium says three major fixes are needed:
- A more coordinated approach to tax and regulation: “We need a plan for the industry that recognises the cumulative burden of government policy and the impact this has on investment and growth.”
- Jobs: The consortium believes that as retail jobs become more highly skilled, the skills policy needs to evolve so its workforce can be trained for new roles.
- Net zero and the circular economy: The BRC says policies are needed to support retailers’ investment in tech to get to net zero.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive at the BRC, said: “The UK has one of the most developed retail offerings in the world, employing three million people and playing a key role in every community in the country. As political parties gear up for the next election, we need a different way of working with government so that we can use the industry’s size, scale and reach to deliver more. That means removing the blockages which hold the industry back, preventing it reaching its full potential.
“It’s time to support the upskilling of workers and accelerate our journey to net zero, while finding ways to address any unnecessary burdens on the industry and its sixty million customers.
“By delivering a more business-friendly approach to retail, the industry can deliver on its own vision – a net zero, digitally transformed industry which provides higher skilled, better paid jobs and more investment in local communities.
“It’s time to unleash the industry’s size, scale and reach to drive greater positive change.”
