Big brands are continuing their digital integration.
With ecommerce spend falling, many industries are continuing their drive toward technology, despite a 3.3% drop in online spend as digital demand heads toward pre-pandemic levels.
In comparison, retail sales are up 1% as shoppers continue to readjust to a post-covid world. Although unbalanced, signalling a clear drop in overall spend, we’re still seeing many of our clients continue to invest in digital in the pursuit of effective re-engagement strategies, as they look to reengage many of the new customers they gained during the online boom.
Brands such as New Balance and Puma enjoyed a particularly strong Q1, following Ecommerce and Digital initiatives during Q3 and Q4 of 2022, along with the continuing of key collaborations, for example AMI Paris, and Aime Leon Dore. A trend which we’re seeing continue, with our team building a number of data analytics and technology-based market maps on behalf of clients in the UK, Netherlands, Scandinavia, and North America.
During Q1, our team attended a number of key industry events such as Slide & OTS, building new partnerships particularly in the UK and US markets, supporting Sales, Marketing, & Operations teams as they look to expand. With many brands looking to expand their product teams, particularly, design and fabric technologists, our team have begun building talent pipelines and producing talent maps to support internal HR teams ahead of upcoming recruitment campaigns.
In Q2, our Sports & Outdoor practice have opened a range of new partnerships with brands based in Holland, Portugal, and the UK, with a number of confidential, executive level headhunts currently taking place. We have also furthered developed our relationships with a number of existing clients, becoming exclusive talent partners for two major UK manufacturers. With ongoing team builds taking place across a number of existing clients, Q3 will see us release a steady flow of new management roles in Marketing, Ecommerce, HR, and Sales in particular.
Our dedicated practice has grown, with the addition of James Westwood who now leads the recruitment of management and executive level finance professionals in both UK & International markets. James holds over a decade of experience as a professional Golfer, followed by roles in Financial Services and is supporting our network of clients through end-to-end vacancy management, team builds, talent mapping, competitor benchmarking, and international relocation.
If you’d like to discuss our support on a current or future role, or are looking for your next career move, get in touch with our dedicated Sport & Outdoor Practice today via hello@macgregorblack.com or by calling +44 (0)191 691 1949