While 2021 has gotten off to a shaky start, businesses are optimistic that the coming 12 months will be less troublesome than the last – a period that saw traditional operating models torn up or reconfigured, seismic shifts in consumer needs and wants, and the emergence of trailblazing new disruptors.
For the biggest firms operating in the retail and consumer good sectors, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted sales and profitability to differing degrees – those more exposed to the HoReCa or foodservice channel, for example, were among the hardest hit.
Across the board, attention has focused on streamlining operations, pivoting towards growth areas (such as e-commerce), and putting in place structures to ensure that they can ‘build back better’.
