What is the problem?
2020 started with mounting pressure on clothing retailers.
More and more UK consumers were embracing online shopping.
But without doubt, the biggest game-changer was the Covid-19 pandemic.
The UK Government announced a country lockdown on March 23.
The effect on UK retail has been significant. Consumers moved to on-line retail at an increased pace.
In November 2020, 31.4% of total retailing was on-line. This represents a 74.7% growth in the value of sales compared to November 2019.
More significantly, clothing store sales declined sharply against other categories such as electrical products.
In November 2020, clothing stores saw a fall of 19% sales compared to the previous month.
From recent research, evidence suggests the decline of bricks and mortar retail will continue apace with the clothing sector being hit badly.
In 2020 alone 15,000 stores closed of which nearly 6,000 were a result of the administration.
Well, known store names such as Debenhams, Warehouse, Oasis and Cath Kidston, Arcadia and Edinburgh Woollen Mills were some of the casualties.
January 2021 saw the official confirmation that online fashion giants have successfully concluded the purchase of failing brands. Asos acquiring Topman and Topshop and Boohoo buying Debenhams
Both these deals did not include the store estates thereby changing these famous brands to online offers only.
How to cope with this huge shift in purchasing behaviour
To survive many brands will need to invigorate their digital and fulfilment strategies.
Retailers will have to move aggressively towards automated warehouse solutions to cater for the online demand that will only trend upwards.
Warehouse automation is not new, but it is gathering pace. It requires a disciplined approach, from initial business assessment, through every stage to final implementation.
Who can you turn to?
The Logistics Improvement Group (LiG) are very experienced in helping organisations that require automation solutions.
LiG has over 40 years of logistics experience and very extensive experience of automated online fulfilment solutions and can conduct:
- Assessment
- System design
- Management of the development process to completion.
These may feature:
- Automated picking systems,
- Automated sortation systems,
- Auto-bagging and boxing solutions,
- Robotics.
Retail Automation Solutions – Project Management and Delivery
LiG has significant experience in delivering successful change and implementation projects in the UK as well as Europe and Africa.
We manage the delivery of complex automation engineering solutions, integrated with new IT systems, and delivered in conjunction with staff teams.
What to do now
If you are considering automation solutions, please ring Ellis Williams on 07968 308393 and he will be happy to talk you through what we can do.