18-19_David Robertson.qxp_Grid 22/12/2025 18:19 Page 1
OVER THE
COUNTER
BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.
A 20:20 Vision Of 2026? Being in business can be a lonely, but I count myself lucky that I have my mum and other friends in the industry who I can speak to. They listen, reassure me and guide me towards decisions. So, what will 2026 bring? Undoubtedly more challenges with Governments that either are not interested or don’t understand small business that really is the lifeblood of the economy, but we still need to steer our respective businesses. In the last fortnight two different friends have spoken to me at length about their businesses and just how challenging life is for them. I was also interviewed after the latest Budget announcement. The questions were all about the challenges for 2026 and one of my key points was that if you are worried, you should speak to someone (be it a fellow business, a group such as Chamber of Commerce or a professional, such as your accountant or banker). Don’t sit on your own letting things eat you up and I urge that message to all of you reading this. The reality of many small businesses is
now that they are constantly having to pivot and adapt to survive. In boxer parlance, you need to be on your toes not the balls of your feet. The High Street quite simply can’t come back as it once was. It has and is changing, and at a more rapid rate than ever before. Walk down almost any UK high street and you’ll see activity. Shops are open. Customers are browsing. Money is still being spent. And yet, behind the scenes, many retailers are struggling more than ever to turn that activity into sustainable profit. In 2026, the retailers that survive will not be the most digital, the most efficient, or even the most innovative. They will be the ones who have made hard decisions. For too long some have blamed competition from the huge online players, but perhaps the Left: Countering consumer apathy is a retailer’s biggest challenge, more need to be wound up to visit the high street.
18 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Top: The coming year will all be about having clarity and focus believes David Robertson. Above: There is no retailer in the land who would like an increase in footfall.
biggest threat to our business is indifference. Everything is always marked as a battle - Online v High Street - Indies v Chains, but there is room for all. Your customers don’t see a battle. They are deciding: ‘Do we want to spend or not?’ In 2026, customers will not be deciding where to shop, they will be deciding whether to shop at all. It’s not a simple as Amazon v your shop. The huge upturn in living costs, the rise and acceptance of second-hand platforms and a bigger point of ‘do we need more stuff at all?’ comes into play and affects not only our sales, but every business. This is why so many retailers feel busier than ever, but more broke than before. The uncomfortable truth is this is that most retailers are not being rejected, they are being ignored. This indifference or lack of passion for shopping is far harder to combat than anything else.