Episode 21: The Retail Roller Coaster
Being in retail in the 21st century is not for the faint of heart. Like a rollercoaster there is a steady stream of ups and downs and in recent years the way customers shop and the way retail operates has dramatically changed. A retail report from Deloitte had called for a modest acceleration in household expenditure, with retail sales expected to rise by roughly 5 percent in 2020. The only real challenge to that seemed to be household debt levels. Then came COVID-19 and the global shutdowns. On this episode of the TradeSecurely podcast it’s a panel discussion on the current state of the sector with a look to the coming holiday season. Janet Eastman is joined by 3 guests. Stephen Georgetti is VP, Director, Information & Grading, Euler Hermes North America and Matt Cobo is VP, Retail Industry Manager, Euler Hermes. Matt and Stephen provide insights from the trade credit insurance provider perspective. Michael Sullo is Vice President, OneSource Risk Management Canada. He is a broker of Credit Insurance and Risk Mitigation products whose clients sell their products to retailers. He provides perspective on the challenges they are facing.