Move of the Week: Retailers shift into recovery mode and shake up top teams
As always during the summer holiday season activity in the jobs market was relatively subdued during August albeit with one notable exception, which I shall come too shortly. Just one week into September, however, and things are starting to heat up with lots of new enquiries coming in as people return to the office (literally in many cases) and strategies for recovering from the pandemic are fine-tuned.
Move of the Week: Retailers shift into recovery mode and shake up top teams
As always during the summer holiday season activity in the jobs market was relatively subdued during August albeit with one notable exception, which I shall come too shortly. Just one week into September, however, and things are starting to heat up with lots of new enquiries coming in as people return to the office (literally in many cases) and strategies for recovering from the pandemic are fine-tuned.
Professional services industry trends for 2021
If we asked businesses in any sector to describe their experiences in 2021, we could probably predict what they would say. Unpredictable, volatile, demanding. However, if we only asked the businesses which are growing and finding successes in 2021, we’d find that they didn’t stop there
Navigating difficult conversations in the workplace
There are always moments at work where we need to talk about a difficult subject. Whether it’s telling a client that you cannot meet a deadline, or confronting a colleague about poor work performance or misconduct, confronting delicate topics is stressful. However, increasing awareness of how to approach tough conversations means that we can learn how to manage situations with respect and honesty.
Move of the Week: Mitchell the latest savvy appointment for John Lewis
John Lewis has been among the most active recruiters since the turn of the year and this week it revealed another significant senior hire with Kathleen Mitchell joining as trading director. John Lewis has been among the most active recruiters since the turn of the year and this week it revealed another significant senior hire with Kathleen Mitchell joining as trading director.
Mitchell has been brought in to lead the department store’s trading strategy across all categories and I can see several reasons why she ticks John Lewis’s boxes.
Move of the Week: It’s no surprise Amazon looked to UK for grocery leadership
Tony Hoggett’s decision to leave Tesco for Amazon is a seismic move that will reverberate throughout the UK grocery sector. He joins fellow Tesco man John Farrell and ex-Sainsbury’s and Central England Co-op executive Matt Birch in swapping a senior role in an established UK grocery business for the opportunity to be part of Amazon’s assault on the UK.
‘For the retail jobs market, this is the calm before the storm’
Monday was meant to herald England’s so-called ‘Freedom Day’, initially planned for 21 June but now delayed until 19 July at the earliest.
It’s another blow for businesses operating in the consumer industries that rely on high levels of footfall to turn a profit. However, if the measures avoid a harsher lockdown later in the year then I suspect most business leaders will accept them as a necessity.
Move of the Week: Waitrose recruits outside partnership for top retail role
Waitrose’s appointment of the Co-op’s Tina Mitchell as its new retail director is significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, it marks the first time Waitrose has recruited the important role from outside of the partnership having historically promoted from within. It’s also one of the grocery industry’s most coveted positions, setting the shop strategy for the retailer with arguably the most premium positioning among mainstream supermarket chains.
Move of the Week: John Lewis fills gaps at the top to face post-Covid balancing act
I’ve noted before how the leadership teams that took retailers into the pandemic will not be the same as those that lead their recovery. This is especially true of retailers most disrupted by Covid-19 – specifically those whose heritage is in stores and who sell discretionary items likes homewares and fashion.
Move of the Week: Marks & Spencer takes big leap forward in its leadership team
The promotions of Stuart Machin and Katie Bickerstaffe announced this week mark a significant step in the evolution of the M&S leadership team
The pair have been named as joint chief operating officers, reporting to chief executive Steve Rowe. In practice, this will see Machin and Bickerstaffe share responsibility for running the day-to-day business leaving Rowe free to concentrate on developing the strategy he hopes will lead the retailer to future growth.
‘As the jobs market reopens, be ready to seize opportunities’
For the four million people who work in British retail the past 12 months has, almost without exception, been extremely challenging. Whether you’ve been stretched to your limit working for an essential retailer or faced with the uncertainty of being furloughed, I would wager it’s not an experience many would wish to repeat.