Food manufacturing giants team up to combat the retail crisis

Manufacturers on the new board included: Unilever, Mondelēz International, Dairy Crest, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Nestlé, Kellogg, PepsiCo, Müller UK & Ireland and Morrisons.

The group, facilitated by supply chain standards organisation GS1 UK, aims to identify areas where companies can work together to tackle challenges facing the food sector. In addition to supply chain efficiency, targets included the rise of online and mobile shopping and waste production.

£5bn opportunity

The advisory board will work on two projects initially: digital marketing and order completion efficiency. ‘Digital DNA’ would focus on using data to improve customer experience. GS1 UK said there was a £5bn opportunity for retailers over the past five years by improving data for product availability and sales.

The Perfect Order project would aim to improve efficiency from order to payment.

Unilever customer director Richard Sadler will co-chair the advisory board. He said: “I’m delighted to co-chair the newly formed Retail Grocery Advisory Board, which aims to tackle some of UK’s most challenging data quality standards issues and lead the industry in developing solutions that support the increasing demands of customers.

“We’ll focus on identifying the key areas that retailers and brands can work together on – such as how to accelerate change, increase sustainability, reduce waste and achieve mutual productivity.”

Commercial director for Tesco George Wright will also co-chair the advisory board. “I’m pleased to be part of the new Retail Grocery Advisory Board,” he said.

‘Greater efficiencies’

“I look forward to working with other retailers and brands to better understand and deal with the industry-wide issues we’re all facing today. Retail today is hugely complex and competitive, but our aim is to work together to find solutions that will bring greater efficiencies to the industry and also inspire the rest of the industry to collaborate further.”

The Retail Grocery Advisory Board’s creation came after retail shopper confidence hit a 20-year low after the Brexit vote, according to a survey by market research group GfK. Its study found 60% of people expected the general economic situation to worsen over the next 12 months.