Irwin Mitchell Commends CEO’s Efforts With Brexit And Other Issues

Emma Yates, who leads the Retail sector at law firm Irwin Mitchell, has echoed the comments made by the chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, Helen Dickinson, in an interview in the Retail Gazette about the challenges ahead and how much the industry has changed over the last six years.

The wide-ranging article covers a number of issues including Brexit in which Dickinson discusses her organisation’s campaign and says that avoiding a no-deal Brexit is essential.

She says: “That ability to deliver pretty low inflation or even deflation in non-food over the last five years or so has been dependent on frictionless movement of goods across borders, and to the extent that goods are imported from the EU, or from countries that the EU has a trade deal with, as there are no tariffs on those goods coming in.

“So the continuation in some way – however we get that – of frictionless, tariff-free, movement of goods has been priority number one in our campaign, as has access to labour of all levels because lots of retailers rely on people from – if not across the world, but particularly across the EU.

“If we’re on WTO tariffs, and if we have any friction at the borders, that will put costs up for retailers and hence prices up for consumers.”

The British Retail Consortium has more than 5,000 members, which make up 60 per cent of the UK's retail market share.

Other issues covered included in the article include Business Rates, international tax rates and diversity in the retail sector.

The full article can be downloaded here

Expert Opinion

“A great deal has happened to the retail sector over the last six years when Helen Dickinson took up the CEO role but she has faced up to these challenges and has certainly worked hard for its members and ensured that their interests are listened to on a host of issues.

“We are entering a crucial phase in the future of the retail sector, not just in terms of how Brexit develops over the next few weeks, but also in relation to how the sector evolves and deals with issues such as the growth of online sales and how the high street can reinvent itself.

“Helen clearly understands these challenges and I look forward to seeing how her organisation works with its members and other bodies, including government, to ensure the sector continues to be at the heart of driving growth in the UK economy.”
Emma Yates - Senior Associate Solicitor