Majestic Wine people director Louise Ellis completes the line-up for the forthcoming Essential Retail webinar on Retail and the National Living Wage (NLW), which will include commentary and analysis on how the NLW is expected to impact retailing strategy in the months and years ahead.
Ellis, who joined Majestic from Links of London earlier this year, has already overseen some significant changes at the UK wine retailer, including the introduction of a minimum wage at the organisation approximately 15% above the recently introduced statutory requirement.
During the webinar, which takes place at 15:00 BST on 15 September 2016, Ellis will offer her insights into Majestic's remuneration policy and will explain the impact it has had on the business, as well as detailing the retailer's position as a credited employer of the Living Wage Foundation.
Following the UK government's recent introduction of NLW, many retailers now face a significant increase in labour costs. Although the rise in pay is positive news for millions of lower paid workers operating in the industry, it comes at a time when the wider sector is facing cost pressures brought about by multiple issues, such as increasing business rates, growing market competition and the apparent need for digital transformation.
Tom Ironside, director of the business and regulation team at the British Retail Consortium, who is also a confirmed speaker for the webinar, will give listeners a flavour of the findings from the trade association's recent retail workforce survey. He will detail the broader industry attitudes to the new legislation and related challenges.
Jason Shorrock, VP for retail strategy EMEA at JDA Software, is the third panellist for the webinar discussion, and he will give his industry insights – specifically his view on the role technology can play in aiding workforce management strategy.
He commented: "For retailers to remain productive, and overcome these new pressures, it must rise to the challenge of creating workforces that are happier, more productive and increasingly agile."
Shorrock added: "Innovative retailers are adopting a smarter, technology-based approach to workforce management, retailers can make the most of the National Living Wage, deliver a better quality of service and thrive in this ultra-competitive market."
Essential Retail editor, Ben Sillitoe, will moderate the webinar discussion, which will provide retailer, trade association and technology supplier perspective on what is one of the most significant changes in business legislation for decades.