Managing the
corporate reputation

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With such a high share of consumer spending, all supermarkets will have higher public profiles and will have to manage public perception very carefully. Our next issue will focus on how retailers are tackling this. In the meantime, the following piece by Dan Rees, Director at the Ethical Trading Initiative, provides food for thought…

THE RECESSION – SHIFTING THE FOCUS BACK TO ETHICS

Reports of the death of ethical trade have been greatly exaggerated. Only last year, many predicted that recession-hit companies would slash spending on ‘unnecessary add-ons’ like ethical trade, and that shoppers would ditch their ethical sensibilities in pursuit of a bargain. But over the past two years, our corporate membership has grown at a rate of over 20% year on year and demand for our ethical trade training workshops is increasing.

While many have tightened their belts, consumers appear more concerned than ever about the people who make their products. For example, a recent TNS Worldpanel survey revealed that 72% of British consumers think that ‘ethical production’ of the clothes they buy is important – up sharply from 59% in 2007.

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