C 152/2
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
6.4.2022
1.3.
The EESC highlights that one of the main challenges the retail sector is facing is the lack of an online level playing field with third-country traders; this creates unfair competition for EU-based traders that comply with EU rules requiring that products sold to consumers be safe and consumer rights respected.
1.4.
The EESC agrees that a solid, ambitious digital policy for the retail sector is needed in Europe to take advantage of the opportunities that the digital innovation offers for enhancing Europe’s competitiveness.
Taking on board the green transition provides an opportunity for the retail sector to help consumers make more sustainable choices in their consumption at the same time.
The EESC highlights the fact that a real Single Market and efficient and effective cross-border legislation will enable the retail and wholesale sectors to respond to consumer demands and compete in a globally competitive, more digital environment.
1.5.
The EESC supports the joint statement in the European Pact for Commerce in Europe issued by the social partners in the retail and wholesale sectors for the EU to help the sector improve its long-term resilience by introducing targeted support measures and accelerating the digital and green transitions, and it recognises the role of retail shops in keeping town centres and rural communities alive.
The EESC calls on the EC to reflect on ways to create an integrated recovery and industrial strategy building on recovery plans that reflects the mutually reinforcing role of services and manufacturing in driving growth and the efficient operation of the EU economy and supporting retail digitalisation, with a specific focus on SMEs.
1.6.
The EESC urges the EU institutions and Member States to redesign employment and skills support measures and to invest in the skill sets of future retail workers through improved vocational and educational training, individual learning and social economy sector support, accounts geared to new jobs, supporting companies in such a way that they can retain a large portion of their workforce by training them to use digital technologies; re-skilling may enable others to access job opportunities in other sectors.
The EESC agrees that artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics will expand and amplify the impact on labour markets of the digitalisation of the economy and that it can contribute to economic and social progress.
2.
Introduction 2.1.
The retail sector, covering retail stores (B2C) and wholesale companies (B2B), is the biggest private employer in Europe, providing one out of every seven jobs and one out of every four European companies.
Retailers and wholesalers are the link between producers and manufacturers and the 450 million consumers in the European Union (EU).
2.2.
Retail is a consumer-demand driven sector.
It is a diverse sector of online and brick-and-mortar stores selling food and non-food products to consumers, which are quickly merging into an omnichannel business model for consumers.
99 % of businesses in this sector are SMEs that are trying to find their way in the Single Market, surviving in a highly competitive market, offering flexibility to innovate and experiment, and doing what they do best: serving their customers.
2.3.
The European retail sector is in the middle of a digital transformation.
This was drastically accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Numerous consumers had to buy their non-food products online because stores were closed.
Food stores were often able to remain open, but were subject to tight restrictions, generating high costs because of the need to keep consumers and employees safe.
Many retailers that did not previously have an online web shop had to start offering their products online to be able to reach customers again while in lockdown.
Often, online marketplaces were the only way for SMEs to go online quickly and this is expected to increase in the near future.
2.4.
At the same time, the green transition is an opportunity for retail, as it allows the sector to rethink business models, offer alternative products and support and nudge people in the direction of a more sustainable lifestyle.
It is both responding and leading to societal change.
Next to the increasing demand from consumers and regulators for more sustainable alternatives, the green transition is an opportunity to rethink the way society produces, manufactures, sells, uses and discards products.
3.
Digital transformation 3.1.
The digital transformation is fundamentally changing retail business models: it is changing interaction with customers, marketing, the supply chain itself, the information flowing through the supply chain and much more.
The sector is traditionally a reseller of products, but it is becoming more and more a mixture of support services around reselling, a leading generator and processor of data, and an important user of AI.
This is essential to respond to consumer demand and provide more relevant personalised offers.