No Need To Go To The Cinema, Were All Living The Zombie Apocalypse Now – Forbes

London's Regent Street resembling a scene from 28 Days Later

One sector which should be thriving right now is the film industry. Why? Because virtually every major city cross the globe has, almost overnight, been transformed into a film set.

If you've always wanted to see the movie, 28 Days Later, no need to go to the cinema - even if you could - just walk down London's Regent Street for your very own zombie apocalypse experience.

The havoc a mutating virus is creating is of course unprecedented. Two weeks ago, who had ever heard of the terms 'self-isolation' or 'social distancing', let alone imagined they would greet one another with an elbow bump. And, such is the pace of social change, that an innocent elbow bump is now completely out of the question as we are now all told to stay at home.

All sectors are affected by the pandemic, but never more so than in one sector which was already struggling - retail.

Just the other week, we were speaking of this as being the one thing that many of us had spent years trying to quash. Well, now even the term 'retail apocalypse' seems inadequate to describe the chaos and turmoil the retail industry is experiencing.

And as with every crisis, it brings out both the good and the bad in businesses and people alike. And for those acting in a decidedly altruistic manner, they would be as well to take note that we tend to have long memories. Never before did business need to do the right thing not only by their customers but by their employees. Sadly, some aren't seeing things this way.

Yes, I'm looking at you Arcadia, Virgin, Easyjet. But fortunately, the naughty step is relatively sparsely populated, outnumbered by the number of businesses who are doing the right thing in these most difficult of times.

From Asda donating 5 million to food banks and community charities to Tesco paying its staff a 10% bonus to Timpson closing all stores but retaining all staff on full pay. And the boss of Kurt Geiger suspending his salary for a year, giving NHS staff a 50% discount when the stores reopen and continuing to pay all store staff so that they can offer volunteer time for charities.

It appears that having a knighthood precludes some from behaving in such a decent manner.

Common Good

And in the retail industry, those who were once rivals and competitors, are now joining together for the common good. And this is exactly as it should be, summoning up the spirit of the blitz just when it is needed the most. One can only imagine the wringing of hands at the CMA.

It is at times like these when the industry also, more than ever, needs the benefit of collective thinking, sharing thoughts, ideas and experiences. And if it were business as usual, this would normally occur by us attending conferences. Soaking up the content and networking with ones peers.

Clearly, this is a turbulent time in retail and Covid-19 has only antagonised what was already a high pressure situation for many retailers. So, rather than regressing into isolation and insular thinking, its exactly the right time for the retail industry to come together to collaborate, share ideas and support each other.

But the very thought of 'networking' probably sends a shudder through most of us right now. Thankfully there's a solution. Which is why the new Retail Transformation Live online conference is such a welcome addition to the conference calendar.

The brainchild of retail consultant, Oliver Banks, Retail Transformation Live wasn't even in existence just five days ago but now expects to bring together over five hundred delegates to hear a collection of experts tackle the key issues, prepare retailers for transformation and build relationships across the industry.

Our societies feel as if they are spinning at an ever increasing rate, while simultaneously slowing down and new normals are appearing everywhere we turn. Retail Transformation Live deserves to take its place amongst that roll call. After all, the world will never be quite the same again.

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No Need To Go To The Cinema, Were All Living The Zombie Apocalypse Now - Forbes