PreschoolNews.net spoke to Elliott Bishop, owner of nursery distributor Bébélephant, to find out how he’s approaching the ever-changing face of retail.
How do you see the future of preschool product at retail?
“There is no doubt the world of retail continues to morph away from the high street in favour of online. That said, the demand for preschool product remains strong, with constant consumer-led demand for newness and innovation. Overall spending remains strong and distributors and retailers must therefore embrace the changing face of retail not fear it. There is every reason to be confident and optimistic.”
What do you believe are the main challenges the industry is currently facing?
“The main challenge facing the industry in general is the ability for smaller retailers to compete with the behemoths such as Amazon who have the power to compete on price and delivery times and charges. This battle is not lost and independent retailers can and mostly do offer a tailored, personal touch that online cannot. This should not be overstated. While consumers clearly do like the ease and convenience of online shopping, they also like the experience of walking into a lovely store and being given specialist advise on often expensive purchases.”
What do you think the future holds?
“Once Parliament sees a way through to end the uncertainties that continue to surround our departure from the European Union, I am quietly confident the economy will rebalance and refocus allowing for more innovation, research and development in our industry, resulting in continued growth for all.”
