Nic Pentelow

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that you never know what challenges are around the corner or how disruptive they will be. With the UK in the grips of its third national lockdown and retailers across the country having closed their high street stores for business yet again, we expect logistics to continue to dominate retail investments this year.

In order to adapt to the ongoing challenges presented by Covid, retailers will need to embrace digital and prepare to be measured against other digital retailers, or risk losing significant revenue and custom in 2021.

As part of this, we anticipate that retailers and brands will invest heavily in streamlining logistics to ensure that all bases are covered and to boost their customer experience. From offering click and collect — if they don’t already — to using high-street stores as local distribution centres, we expect many retailers to pivot their operations to reflect the changing times.

If one thing is certain it’s that in 2021, it will be critical for retailers to remain flexible and agile to adapt to unexpected circumstances. Doing this will help them navigate disruption and move successfully through the New Year and Covid.

Nic Pentelow, director of retail, CitySprint

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