Retailers fear high cost of Brexit

With Brexit negotiations ongoing and set to continue until 2019, new data from Rotageek has revealed that 58 percent of the retailers surveyed believe Brexit will negatively impact their organisation’s access to labour. This would have a knock-on effect, as 56 percent added that it would put extra pressure on their workforce.

Chris McCullough, chief executive and co-founder at Rotageek said: “A softer Brexit could help retailers retain access to skills and labour from Europe, but right now there are no guarantees.

“The signs point to a Brexit that removes freedom of movement for EU nationals. If this triggered a staffing crisis there could be lasting damage to British high streets, so retailers need to examine the variables they can control to best protect their businesses from this external disruption.”

Rotageek surveyed 102 UK-based retail decision-makers and revealed that the staffing crisis caused by a decrease in labour from EU workers could be further complicated, as it found that retailers already have difficulty matching scheduling to business needs, with 41 percent wrongly predicting staffing requirements. While two-thirds (65 percent) say having the right staff in the right place at the right time is a struggle.

McCullough added: “Smart scheduling and utilising company data can help ensure employees are engaged, productive and retained. After all, employees are the face of retailers and businesses should be doing all they can to unlock a better experience for customers.”