18 October 2007, 17:06 PM
  • Speaking at Anuga this week, Spar boss, Dr Gordon Campbell said that retailers are operating in a "time of turbulence" and need to innovate to ride out cost pressures and the changing needs of consumers.

Dr Gordon Campbell, speaking at the opening event of this year’s Anuga trade fair in Cologne, told delegates how food retailers needed to change and adapt in response to these challenging times. He claimed the answer lay in “innovation, risk and vision” and emphasised the need for retailers to focus on changing customer habits.

“We need to place a strong emphasis on Food to Go and Food to Stay to answer our customers busy lifestyles,” he said.

“Innovation both in technology to reduce costs and in introducing new product categories to respond to the changing needs of customers is a must in today’s modern society.”

Dr Campbell said retailers would also have to look at renewed methods of reducing costs in all aspects of the supply chain. He added, “It is my belief that as an industry we face a time of great opportunity for growth but to capture this growth we need vision, innovation and partnership.”