Wales unveils new action plan for ‘resilient’ retail sector  

The Welsh Government and the Wales Retail Forum have today launched a new Retail Action Plan, aiming to build a more resilient retail sector that delivers for communities, business and workers

Together for retail: a Wales Retail Forum action plan sets out actions, shared by all social partners, that will also ensure the sector offers fair, secure and rewarding work.

The retail sector is one of the largest private sector employers in Wales, providing jobs to 139,000 people as of 2021 and with a reach into communities across Wales.

The plan sets out common ground where the sector can come together to improve its prospects, as well as the prospects of those who work within it.

Collective action outlined in the plan includes:

• championing workforce equality; diversity and inclusion at all levels
• embedding fair work principles by promoting the Real Living Wage, the benefits of the Economic Contract and the role of trades unions
• promoting the benefits of careers in the sector
• assessing skills and training provision
• adopting the Town Centre First policy in planning
• reducing town centre vacant premises by supporting Local Authorities to match businesses to them or encourage community and other worthwhile use
• working collaboratively to promote town centre/high street events to increase footfall
• creating safer working environments
• encouraging the retail sector to move towards net zero.

The Welsh Government will continue to use levers such as the Young Person’s Guarantee and employability support schemes, Transforming Towns funding, Business Wales support and Business Rates relief to support the growth of the sector.

Minister for the Economy, Vaughan Gething launched the plan during a visit to Llandudno town centre and some of the town’s leading retailers, including, New Look and M&S.

“Our retail sector has a vital contribution to make to our town and city centres, rural communities, and our wider well-being, which was never better evidenced than during the Covid-19 pandemic, when retailers provided vital services to people and communities across Wales,” Gething, said.

“The launch of this plan comes at a time when the sector is facing considerable change affecting business operations, the workforce, consumer behaviours and the broader economic context and outlook. Overlaying those issues are the headwinds of a cost-of-living and cost-of-doing-business crisis, with all the uncertainty that brings.

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has welcomed the new plan.

“We are pleased that the Retail Action Plan has acknowledged the important contribution that convenience stores make to the Welsh economy and to communities across Wales, by providing access to essential products and services and acting as a social hub for those who may be more isolated or vulnerable,” James Lowman, ACS chief executive, said.

Findings from ACS’ 2023 Welsh Local Shop Report highlights the significant contribution that convenience stores make to the Welsh economy and to the communities that they serve, providing access to essential products and services and generating over 23,000 local, secure and flexible jobs.

“The Plan has also noted the pressures that businesses are currently facing and the need to provide retailers with certainty and support in order for them to thrive now and into the future. We will continue to engage with the Welsh Government, including through the Retail Forum on which we sit, to highlight the unique opportunities and challenges faced by local shops,” Lowman added.