After the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that sales across Great Britain fell by nearly 1 per cent last month, Eleanor Thomas, spokesperson for disruptor to the online marketplace Wholee Prime, commented: “The figures released today by the ONS show commentators are continuing to ignore the UK high street’s terminal decline. Those who say otherwise or claim the fall is temporary are burying their heads in the sand. After sales fell by 2.5 per cent in July, experts are saying exactly the same now as they were then: ‘this is only temporary’, ‘the weather is to blame’, and other excuses to allay their fears that they are too afraid to admit to themselves. The high street and current retail model is failing. You only need to look at data released last week that indicates an average of 50 shops per day are shutting on the high street to realise this is about more than just the weather or supply chain issues.”
“Retailers big and small need to understand that their priority must be survival. We do not want to see businesses disappear because they did not make the choices necessary to thrive,” she adds. “That choice is an easy one: move online (the share of retail sales online rose in August to 27.7 per cent). If businesses are worried they will not be able to compete with the likes of giants such as Amazon and eBay, that is exactly why they should move. Without other businesses making the move online, the giants will continue to dominate.”
“Chinese philosopher Laozi said that ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’; to transform the online marketplace, more businesses need to take that first step. Wholee Prime is committed to changing the online marketplace with a customer-first business model that is guided by: Fair & Competitive pricing; Quality & Wide Assortment; Efficient & Reliable Delivery Service; and Zero Worries Shopping. It has brought us great success since our launch last August, and we expect this to continue.
“The online marketplace has already done so much good for so many businesses, and it has the potential to do even more by giving struggling high street shops the chance for a new lease of life. Wholee Prime has shown it is possible to enter the online marketplace and not be spat straight back out, hopefully more will follow suit.”
