From labour conditions to food-supply integrity, retailers lead the way on listening to customers and building responsible businesses.

The key to any successful relationship is trust and it’s no different in the dynamic between retailers and consumers. Responding to customers’ needs is key to the establishment of a loyal and long-lasting relationship in a competitive marketplace.

As important is the need to show leadership on issues that matter to customers. These range from ensuring ethical supply chains, reducing energy use, helping to counteract fraud in the supply chain and treating employees with respect.

There is always scope to learn, develop and grow. But I can confidently say that in the case of the retail industry there is a genuine desire not only to rise up to meet the rapidly changing needs of the customer but also to exceed expectations and show leadership in building responsible businesses.

Because at the end of the day, a responsible business is a sustainable business.

A theme that came out strongly in our Great Expectations seminars on trust in the supply chain earlier this year was the greater need for collaboration to address bigger problems that individual businesses cannot solve alone.

But how can this be done in the right way without breaching competition law, and when and how do collaborative approaches work best? These are some of the questions we have been working on with Forum for the Future with guidance to be published at the end of the month.

An area where such collaboration is critical is in fighting fraud. Professor Elliott who did the Government’s review on the integrity and assurance of food-supply networks was interested in the industry’s new tools for auditing the supply chain that strengthen controls and directly target food fraud.

Furthermore, the new BRC Global Standard for Food Safety (out in January) includes modules for assessing vulnerability to fraud.

Many retailers are eager to play their part in reducing the use of unethical labour and are working with the Government to tackle the abuse and exploitation of workers that sometimes occurs. This is topical at the moment as the Modern Slavery Bill is going through Parliament, providing an opportunity to work with the Ethical Trading Initiative who share the same agenda.

The importance of implementing energy reduction plans to tackle climate change and improve the bottom line was understood early on by many retailers. But Government and the industry can and need to do more.

As a part of our A Better Retailing Climate initiative we provide practical help to retailers with less in-house expertise and continue to encourage Government to simplify its policies and reduce misaligned reporting requirements.

No industry is perfect but we are definitely making large strides towards building sustainable businesses for the future that meet consumer needs and strengthen our shared values. The job is not yet done – and probably never will be – but we have a duty to ourselves and the consumers we serve to spread the word on what’s being done to build responsible businesses in which the consumer can trust.

  • Helen Dickinson is director-general of the British Retail Consortium