Page 4 - December 2021 / January 2022

who’s who in retail

RLI MEETS

Anna Blackburn

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF BEAVERBROOKS

Q. Given the current market conditions, have you had to whilst remaining authentic. At the beginning of the pandemic last year,
alter or re-evaluate your key objectives over the coming myself and all directors and senior managers were very hands on with
12 months? the reconfiguration of our warehouse operations, to ensure the new
For us, the past 12 months have been all about adapting to the processes worked and most importantly, that they were safe for our
changing landscape and ensuring we put the safety of our people and people. The personal visits gave me a chance to connect with people
customers as our number one priority. A people-first ethos has always and reassure them that we were with them every step of the way.
been at the heart of our business, and this was more important than
ever during a year where our trading decisions were significantly Q. What do you make of social media and its prominent rise
influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic. in importance over the last few years, and how important do
you feel e-commerce and online activities will continue to be?
Q. How would you say the Covid-19 outbreak has affected I believe a strong e-commerce and digital strategy is crucial – digital
your business in the past year, and will it have any effect on and physical spaces complement each other and when well-connected
your plans moving forward? can significantly strengthen customer experience across the whole
2020 was certainly a challenging year of adapting quickly in an ever- business. As the digital sphere of e-commerce continues to grow and
changing retail landscape, and we are extremely proud of how we be an essential part of the retail sector, we believe a social media
have responded as a business throughout the pandemic. We worked presence is vital for retailers.
quickly to refocus our operations and were able to reopen our
ecommerce operations after just 19 days of being closed at the start of Q. What would you consider to be your career highlights?
the pandemic. Our careful planning, along with government grants, the For me, being offered the role of CEO in 2013 has to be the most
furlough scheme and business rates relief, have been extremely helpful significant highlight of my career, especially as the first non-family
in enabling us to support our people and we were able to retain all of member and female to be appointed to the board. I have channelled
our 960 colleagues throughout the pandemic. Moving forward, we will my passion for the company, and all that I have learned into shaping
continue with our careful planning, remaining vigilant of COVID-19 Beaverbrooks’ people-first culture, which makes it the proud and
statistics and changing retail trends to ensure our business and our distinctive company that it is today.
people continue to thrive.
Q. How are you feeling about the 12 months ahead?
Q. What key leadership skills do you feel are the most I think the word would be ‘confident’, Beaverbrooks has a lot of
important in the current retail climate? exciting things in the pipeline and we are continually investing to
Agility, careful planning, regular and clear communication with our strengthen the business. The learnings from the pandemic have
people, and being able to reflect and learn are crucial skills in the informed our planning, and good preparation has allowed us to feel
current retail climate. Moving forward, the evolution of the high street more hopeful and be stronger than ever. However, with Covid-19
into a more experiential model will be key to retailers surviving and case numbers changing we must remain vigilant. By keeping our safety
thriving, and we are really focusing on what we can do to adapt in the measures in place, and with customers expressing a preference for this,
future to always provide the best experience for our customers. we hope that the next 12 months will see further positive advances.

Q. as a leader, when making key strategic decisions, what Q. Do you have any words of warning for the industry as we
proportion of the decision do you feel is fact-based and what head into unchartered territory?
proportion is instinctual? If we have learnt anything from this year and a half, it is that business
When making any business decisions, I think it is very important to agility and careful planning are key to survival in challenging times for
be connected and listen to your teams across the company to inform the sector. Maintaining a people-first culture will ensure no one is left
any strategies – after all, engaging colleagues is key to achieving success behind with any business decisions, and with engaged colleagues and
with any business activity. Finding the important facts to inform customers, success will come from everyone playing their key role in
strategic changes, for me, comes from going into branches and speaking the business.
with colleagues directly to get insight into how decisions will improve
operations in real terms. For example, the safety measures and covid- Q. Any final thoughts or anything else you would like to add?
safe procedures in all stores and across the warehouses during the While the year has been difficult, I have been amazed at the optimism
pandemic were carefully planned following direct consultation with and commitment of our people throughout. We achieved the number
our people, to ensure they would work in practical terms. one position in the prestigious 100 Best Companies to Work For list
2021, in addition to being announced as ‘Retail’s Best Company to
Q. Do you feel that a leader can be transformational whilst Work For’. Our continued commitment to our people first approach
remaining authentic, and how important do you feel this is? has been crucial to our success as a business, and we will continue
We always place people at the heart of our leadership strategy and to ensure our people, customers and communities are put first with
believe it is of great importance for leaders to be transformational, every decision we make.

04 RETail & lEiSuRE inTERnaTional DECEMBER 2021 / JanuaRY 2022