News & Insight : In Depth

The new reality

The Excel Recruitment Retail Management Survey was conducted during late December 2009 and January 2010, asking a sample of 250 store managers a range of questions regarding employment conditions and rates of pay. Some 80% of respondents were from the supermarket and convenience sectors, with the remainder representing the fashion and non-food retail sectors.

Of those surveyed, 90% said that they had implemented wage cuts over the last year; 88% of managers also said that salaries needed to be reduced in line with the reductions in the cost of living to make Ireland competitive again, with the majority (92%) agreeing that wage cuts had to be made sooner rather than later. A recent Small Firms Association survey found that 13% of respondents cited labour costs as their single biggest threat and 87% as a major business problem. more >

In Depth	In Depth	In Depth	In Depth
A tale of two economies	Extreme measures	More difficult budgets ahead	Sustainable goals

While the economy is likely to start growing again next year, recovery will largely be confined to the multinational sector with no return to Celtic Tiger years.	Retailers readily accepted the challenges posed by the cold snap and a more heart-warming consequence was that it highlighted the importance of the local store.	With the Government set to borrow a further €19 billion this year, further pain can be expected in the December 2010 budget, according to DAN WHITE	Marks & Spencer’s head of sustainable business, Mike Barry talks to ShelfLife about the road to sustainability three years after launching an ambitious five-year plan
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