Decade essays: 10 years of retail progress

The first decade of the 21st century was one of enormous change for UK retail. Bricks-and-mortar retailers have had to work harder than ever to get customers through their doors and spending, while online retailing has grown from almost a standing start.

Vital to helping retailers achieve that success has been the innovation by suppliers of services across the industry - support which often goes unrecognised but is key if the sector is to be a successful engine of growth.

As customers have become more demanding, retailers have as well, expecting the infrastructure that supports their business to be at the cutting edge, yet at the same time as efficient as possible.

In sectors ranging from ecommerce to logistics, suppliers to retail have responded to the extraordinary pace of change. In this section of the website, Retail Week’s commercial partners review the changes in their area of the market, outlining the key innovations that have enabled their industries to support retailers in their growth plans.

They will also look ahead to what changes might be expected over the next 10 years, because if the noughties have taught us anything, it’s that the pace of change in retail isn’t just rapid, but also accelerating all the time. The shape of retail in 2020 is bound to be radically different to today’s industry, but what will remain consistent is the need for innovation from the companies that support retailers in order to not just meet but exceed customers’ expectations.