Category: News
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The Great Resignation of 2021 – Is...
Continue ReadingThe Great Resignation of 2021 – Is It time to Change Roles?
You may or may not have heard conversation over the past couple of months surrounding ‘the great resignation’. This has become a particularly talked about topic recently. It is yet another significant impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. But what is it?
The number of people resigning from their jobs since mid-2021 has been the highest for a very long time. This has meant open job vacancies surpassed 1 million for the first time in August. Leading us to ‘The great resignation of 2021’!
There are many reasons behind this trend, particularly with the pandemic highlighting numerous issues for individuals. It has made them reassess what is a priority in their working life. Amongst these issues is role burn out, lack of employee focus, poor working conditions, and fear of catching the virus.
The months of the pandemic for some saw increased stress levels and working hours. Which comes hand in hand with home working. It’s therefore no surprise this has caused burn out for many in their roles. Along with the feeling of underappreciation or value in the company. Covid is still a part of our lives, and the lasting effects this has had on employees remains, This is evident in the subsequent trend of reconsideration and resignation of roles.
Interestingly, two of our largest sectors we recruit in, the food service and retail commerce industries. Have had the first and second highest rate of employee turnover in 2021 respectively. The food sector employee turnover was 6.8% and retail commerce at 4.7%.
Rapid Growth
After rapid growth of the great resignation trend, with the peak in August. This has created one of the most unpredictable jobs market we have ever seen. Now we are watching this level out, but how does that leave the employability and recruitment market?
British employers are facing the most severe shortage of candidates on record. The ratio of job seekers to open vacancies becoming unbalanced after the surge of job moves. For the first time in a long time, candidates were in control of the market. Now that they are settled in new positions, businesses have been left searching for individuals to fill their vacancies. This is pushing up starting pay for at an unprecedented pace. Business are now trying to find ways to help reluctant individuals make the move.
Here at New Chapter we have witnessed the notable change in the number of individuals showing interest in a career change. We take pride in being able to help people with such a huge step.
Maybe you have just moved roles, perhaps you’ve been there a while? Regardless of time it is extremely important to ensure you regularly take a moment to look at your position and ensure it is right for you.
We are all aware time flies, and it can be very easy to just get comfortable letting each day at work pass by. For some, work can be too busy to even notice how you are feeling. This can become weeks, months and even years until you finally take a step back. Make sure to look at your career path and question if it is right for you.
So, this leads us to asking you to take a moment and think about your current job role and career…
Here are six questions you can ask your-self to understand and identify if it could be time to change jobs:
One of the biggest questions to consider is – am I paid enough for the work I do?
It is always important to review this and we are currently undertaking a salary survey to help you do so. By partaking in our salary survey you will receive a free download to help you understand what other people in the industry are earning.
We have supported some of the best and brightest talent within the FMCG & Retail industry for over 16 years now. We love what we do and we understand changing your job can seem daunting. But if you are ready to put your feelers out on to the market, what’s the harm in trying?
We would love to have a chat with you about your career goals and the status of the market right now. Click below to arrange a call with one of our specialist Consultants today!
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Quick Commerce: The 3rd Generation of E-Commerce?
Continue ReadingQuick Commerce: The 3rd Generation of E-Commerce?
Quick commerce, AKA Q-Commerce, E-grocery and On-demand delivery... A fast growing industry and the new generation of E- Commerce.
There’s no doubt that Covid-19 revolutionized the E- commerce industry and influenced the push of Q-Commerce with lockdowns and reduced accessibility to items. Plus, the fact we humans love anything that’s made quick and easy for us! Technology has irreversibly shaped consumer expectations, to the point where we expect instant gratification. Here at New Chapter we recruit in this industry.
What is Quick-Commerce?
This 3rd generation is the fastest of its kind, gone are the marveled days of online shopping where 3-5 working days used to be an impressive delivery time frame. It differentiates itself with the speed of the deliveries which arrive in minutes, not days.
Focusing in on micro quantities, rather than replacing your weekly food shop, is there to help you get particular items delivered quickly and conveniently.
As lifestyles change, so too is consumer behaviour. On top of this, the pandemic has meant this sector has rapidly taken off, with an annual market estimation of £1.4bn already. 12% of UK shoppers already use Q-Commerce, with the market set to grow in value to £3.3bn a year.
At an average age of 36, young adults are the most common drivers and are aiding the current rise of urbanization. With smaller household sizes becoming much more common, the push in demand for delivery of products in small quantities in these areas are replacing those traditional larger and cheaper.
How do these Companies Operate?
Although all business models face differences, the general operation of these companies are very similar, running in contrary to the E-commerce brick and mortar warehouses. Rather than operating from large units based on the outskirts of cities, these companies base them selves centrally and strategically allowing for ultimate agility and flexibility that’s required to respond to customer demand, around the clock.
Sometimes referred to as ‘dark stores’ these can be anywhere between 3,229 and 7,500 sq ft and stock 1,000+ unique products.
Sub-Sectors
Companies
- Aggregators – Third party websites offering on-demand fulfilment. Focussed within three areas of takeaway, grocery-focussed and service.
- Pure Plays – Emerging operators building their proposition around a high speed delivery service (often under 15 minutes).
- Retailers – As well as partnering with third-party players for delivery services, established retailers have also launched their own on-demand services, including the likes of Sainsburys & Ocado. (Source: IDG)
Why?
With stores generally positioned no more than 3km away, orders can be fulfilled around 25% faster than traditional in-store sales, supported by optimized floorplans and ready to go team members / delivery drivers both helping improve speed further.
Investment into Artificial intelligence and inventory monitoring technologies working in real time allows accurate supply of products to the ‘always-on’ Q-Commerce consumers who are able to order 24 hours a day due to dark store operation and smartphone technology.
Put this all together and it creates complete ease for the consumer who doesn’t need to leave the house, or in fact move, in order to get their desired products.
With the majority of these Q-Commerce companies working within food and grocery the future looks big, we look forward to seeing who else enters this growing market and what direction they may take their services in!
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What Does it Mean to be a...
Continue ReadingWhat Does it Mean to be a B Corp & Why is it so Valuable to a Business?
B Corp : businesses with the highest social and environmental performance, recognised as the top standard by certification from B Lab.
In 2006 B Lab launched the B Corp certification, driving a global movement of individuals using business as a force for good, in order to redefine success and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
B Lab – a non-profit organisation dedicated to making it easier for mission-driven businesses to have a more positive impact on the planet and its people.
B Corp businesses work to balance both purpose and profit with legal requirements to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. They utilise the power of business to achieve a greater goal: positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment.
The certification allows you to be recognized at the highest standard through an extremely valuable organization, and we don’t say that lightly… with more than 100,000 businesses signing up for the B Corp impact assessment since it begun, only 3,500 have been certified which reflects it’s extremely high standards and honour to be a part of!
Being B Corp certified truly reflects you as a business who truly are always striving to do better and represent the best ethos, all for your team, the planet, and the people within it.
4,075 companies, 153 industries
Who is B-corp?
With a large collection of B Corp registered companies we have chosen a select few to highlight, all relevant to our New Chapter industries…
How to become a B Corp company
Assessed on a points system the accreditation process is extremely thorough, with 80 points needed to pass and companies measured against five key categories:
GOVERNANCE
WORKERS
CUSTOMERS
COMMUNITY
ENVIRONMENT
And that’s not it! You must also undertake an exam of 150-200 questions regarding how your business operates.
The final step of the process | Declaration & Fees
The declaration of interdependence states that all B Corps:
- “Must be the change they seek in the world
- Ought to be conducted as if people and place matter
- Through products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.
- Businesses must act with the understanding that we are dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.”
Check out the B Corporation website to learn more about the certification, the process and stories of the community
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E-Commerce Industry – How has the Need...
Continue ReadingHow has the Need for E-Commerce Jobs Changed Over the Past Year?
Without a doubt it’s safe to say the E-commerce sector has gone through some major growth in the last decade. Consumers from practically every country today benefit from the advantages of online transactions thanks to the rapid development of tech, continuous digitalization of modern life and the internet. As the access and adoption of these elements expands at a rapid pace worldwide every year the number of digital buyers multiply. In 2020, nearly two billion people purchased products or services online, with global e-commerce sales exceeding 4.2 trillion dollars.
Whilst these factors alone have pushed the development of the E-commerce sector, we were then faced with the Covid-19 pandemic which has had unprecedented effects on the industry and the demand for jobs.
Although it began with empty shelves and manic consumers stockpiling enough toilet paper and beans to last a year, Covid has now completely solidified the need for e-commerce after lockdowns and isolating became our new ‘normal’. We moved hard and fast to digital retail, which was once just one in many options we had when it came to making a purchase. However, it soon became our primary method of shopping as the high street shut and our fear of germs (and people!) grew.
Statista’s research shows in 2020, e-retail sales accounted for 18% of all retail sales worldwide. By 2024 this figure is expected to reach 21.8%, the illustration of predicted growth suggests its likely job demand shall follow in a similar pattern too which for recruiters, means this is not just a one-year peak in the pandemic.
Lauren our senior E-commerce consultant here at New Chapter shared her thoughts on the changes in this sector…
“As a business, we have seen a huge uplift in digital roles, even from traditionally brick-and-mortar business that are branching out into the digital channel.”
Another aid toward the job growth in E-commerce is the potential ‘death’ of the high street… the likes of Parcel hero (a leading courier service) have been one of many to identify and predict the potential death of the high street which they are forecasting for 2030. The high profile report which was discussed in parliament shares that ‘unless retailers developed an omnichannel approach that embraced both online and physical store sales, the High Street as we know it would reach a dead-end by 2030’.
“The rise of e-commerce has brought about many changes, most of which are happening behind the scenes, from supply chain to business & brands moving into D2C”
Whilst we have seen many companies develop their online presence over recent years, it’s clear we have further to go in this process with many yet to make the move from the high street online which will certainly continue providing a mass job feed in this sector.
In fact, a LinkedIn article shares the findings from their ‘Jobs on the rise’ report where by 9 out of the 15 countries listed feature a type of e-commerce role within their top 3. LinkedIn share the all too familiar joke of individuals who claimed their only true relationship during the pandemic was with their delivery driver… @Amazon being a particularly strong bond for many of us! As a company who hired 427,000 from January – October they are a great example of a rapidly expanding e-commerce business.
“I feel it’s a very exciting yet challenging time in this ever changing industry.”
According to LinkedIn research, the number of people hired for ecommerce-related jobs in the UK has increased by 143%. That’s a tremendous amount, and it’s only going to get bigger. The grocery sector in particular saw a significant increase in sales as more individuals turned to the internet for their shopping requirements.
Without being bias we’ve got to give credit to recruiters during this pandemic who have had to stay motivated and extremely adaptable whilst moving where they work, where they recruit, and whom they recruit (more diversity, with very different roles).
Many firms were unprepared for the effects and challenges lockdown brought us all. E-commerce offerings had to be rapidly adjusted and built upon and things were tough. However, it is now the time for reaping the rewards, it is clear irreversible changes have come from the pandemic with our shopping habits being altered… the only way for the ecommerce industry to go is up!
Are you interested in seeing what roles we have within the E-commerce sector?
Check them out below…
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Are Benefits at Work Still Important?
Continue ReadingAre Benefits at Work Still Important?
Last week we posted a New Chapter poll on the satisfaction with your work perks… the results were very interesting and it inspired us to look further into it!
Flexible working went from being a benefit to the norm over night as the pandemic hit and WFH began. We found the extremes of ‘flexibility’ some companies are taking very interesting, allowing employees to work completely anywhere… even the beach!
Although that sounds like heaven do you think you need to be in a suitable environment to focus on work or can you take flexibility to its full potential and work easily anywhere?
For the past 10 years or so, the more contemporary firms have been decking out their businesses with company benefits, from pool tables, to snack cupboards, to nap stations and barbers, we’ve seen it all. These ‘benefits’ used to encourage both physical presence in the office and corporate loyalty, seem to be key to a modern workplace’s success and can be a huge, non-monetary selling point to potential candidates.
One study finds that 48% of employees would weigh company benefits and work perks in their decision to find their next job.
However, as a new post pandemic culture appears, after the need for our offices which held many of these benefits disappeared over night and remote working has changed the workforce, the demands from employees are changing as they come to the realization of what is actually important.
It’s not all bad though, as the change is helping companies better understand the needs of their teams with many now working on offering different benefits that matter more to them. With these largely centered around health, financial stability, and flexibility.
Cary Cooper the co-author of Flexible work, a book which examines flexible working through the lens of social science with a psychological perspective, says companies are progressively shifting toward an individualised, health-focused rewards culture. Cooper believes companies have a new understanding of the differing requirements from older and younger members of the workforce that is the heart of this transformation.
As the return to work emerges, companies are beginning to bring back some of the more novel benefits like Pringle who have ‘taco Tuesdays’ (we love this btw!). The question is though are these enough now to prevent employees leaving? Combined with the developed more meaningful benefits, we think so. But basic benefits alone just aren’t enough, with a ping pong table and some free snacks just not cutting it anymore.
It could be that those who fail to listen to the needs of their employees and identify the new corporate ‘practices’ now risk falling behind too.
SOME OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER PERKS IN 2021:
Offering job benefits not only helps engage, excite, and inspire staff, it can help attract top talent to the recruiting process as well, which is why it’s crucial to not only establish a positive company culture but communicate it too.
Our NC poll on LinkedIn provided us with some very interesting insights… its clear companies really aren’t quite hitting the standards expected with their not so perky perks!
Although many people say they are satisfied with the benefits they are offered at work (49%) it seems over half are unhappy and unfortunately it’s something that often doesn’t become ‘worthy’ enough of speaking up about. We see perks at NC as motivators, relationship builders and tokens of appreciation… all things which can help employees exceed alone and, in a team… ultimately making them pretty important in our eyes!
What does New Chapter's Founder, Adrian, think about benefits at work?
“It’s the work our employees do that make us a good company and so we’ve always tried to recognise this with a wide variety of rewards and incentives. These can range from big incentive trips to places like Las Vegas to little gestures like free fruit in the office to encourage wellbeing! Moving to a home-based working means that we’ve had to re-think a lot of our original rewards as they are no longer relevant or so easy to provide. We’ve focused on rewards that help to maintain the culture of New Chapter and help to ensure relationships in the business continue to flourish. This has ranged from meals out to murder mystery events!
I feel that providing an environment where you are treated like an adult and trusted to do your job one of the best rewards any leader can provide their team. During the last 18 months many people have had to juggle lots of different things like home schooling or helping elderly relatives out with their shopping. Being flexible with start or finish times has made a very difficult time a bit easier for the team here at NC.
Business really need to think about changing the way they work their reward schemes. You need to think about what behaviour you are wanting to encourage and then build the reward around that. For us it’s always been about collaboration and team spirit, If you don’t have a ping pong table for people to hang out together and build relationships, how do you make that happen in a remote working world?”
With 51% of people unsatisfied or wanting more from the benefits their company offers here are some of our favorite quirky benefits companies are contributing – maybe this will be some good inspiration!
What one of our Consultants, Luke, thinks about the benefits here at New Chapter
The benefits are great at New Chapter, they have changed a bit since working from home as some are now not applicable, times have moved on and so should ‘perks’.
For me, moving forward, it would be great to have benefits which bring the social aspect out at work again, as working from home a lot means we have lost seeing and interacting with colleagues.
New Chapter are great with their incentives which I also think links closely with ‘benefits of a business’
Here at NC we really value our team and ensure we have benefits in place to reward and motivate everyone… here are some of our favorite times together!
If you’re feeling unsatisfied with what your company is offering or even just ready for a fresh start then have a look at our live vacancies, or get in touch with us below!
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Do we Need Incentives to go Back...
Continue ReadingDo we need incentives to go back to the office?
Are you considering working from home being a permanent reality? Would you need incentives to return to the office? If you are, you’re part of 36% who want to spend most of their time working from home in the future. This data was given by the UK’s Office for National Statistics. Also showed that nearly 40% of businesses expect 75% of their workforce to return to the workplace. It’s clear a gap is emerging between what employers hope and what employees want.
Employers are now dedicating time to brainstorm ways to encourage people to go back to the office. With WFH no longer seen as a perk, it’s time for them to think outside of the box.
At the moment, incentives to return to the workplace, fall into five broad categories.
Hygiene Incentives
Companies have been racing to make sure workplaces are sanitary and safe. This is to ensure employees definitely turn up to work. “What we can’t do is open up our offices, invite our employees back and then provide a suboptimal experience,” says Ken Raisbeck, head of occupier advisory for CBRE, a real estate services company.
Structure
Many businesses had pre-pandemic plans to create more friendly office designs. Businesses are looking to provide comfortable social spaces where colleagues can meet to collaborate in person. With private areas; technology to enable discussions with remote-working colleagues or clients; and more flexible schedules to avoid busy commutes. There is a massive demand from young staff to return to the office.
Connection
Many employers have started reminding staff of the importance of in-person creativity and collaboration. “I know I’m not alone in missing the hum of activity, the energy, creativity and collaboration of our in-person meetings and the sense of community we’ve all built,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said. This reportedly was met resistance from staff, who want greater flexibility.
Food perks
Tangible perks on offer include free coffee and food. Compass, which provides corporate catering, says three large investment banks are now offering complimentary food. Where they have in-office gyms or swimming pools, companies are cautiously reopening them.
Raisbeck of CBRE says landlords, employers, local businesses and local authorities are also starting to organise “placemaking” with Covid-secure events. Such as live music gigs in shared outdoor spaces or reception areas.
One obvious challenge, he says, is to “flatten out” the midweek peak and encourage commute on Mondays and Fridays. These will be put to the test once lockdown lifts depending on post-pandemic budgets.
Megan Lyon, chief strategy officer at Herman Miller, warns “Once you offer free food or incentives, it’s hard to [take] them back”.
Cash Incentives
Few companies are paying bonuses to staff to use the office again. There are some companies that are offering giftcards and vouchers.
CoStar, a real estate data company, made headlines with its decision in April to randomly reward one US employee $10,000 every day. This was provided they were vaccinated and working in the office at least one day a week. The cash handouts have now ended, but a trip to Barbados and a Tesla are still on offer. The primary aim of CoStar’s prize-giving was to encourage staff to be vaccinated. But the proportion of workers in its US offices has jumped from 11% in April to 56% in the June.
Facebook said all employees could work remotely after the pandemic. However, their salaries would be re-adjusted if they moved to lower-cost regions. That is a luxury that may not be allowed to other employers. Some of which are having to offer perks simply to fill vacancies in a tight labour market.
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The Most in-Demand Jobs FMCG & Retail
Continue ReadingThe Most in-Demand UK FMCG Jobs 2021
Recruiters are now reporting the strongest rebound in permanent FMCG hiring for six years in March as businesses prepare for the slow lifting of lockdown measures. Recruiters are also reporting accelerated growth in temporary billings, and the sharpest increase in overall vacancies since 2018.
This information comes from a survey complied by IHS Markit for advisory firm KPMG and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, and its findings suggest one of the strongest signals so far that businesses are becoming upbeat enough to take on new staff.
In addition to this, data from The Office of National Statistics suggest online job advertisements have now risen to levels seen on the eve of the first lockdown. These are very reassuring signals that the UK job market may return to pre-pandemic levels; with a sustained recovery in hiring being crucial if the UK is to rebound from the pandemic without any economic scarring.
Key industries and jobs in FMCG that are under increasing demand
Findings from the KPMG/ REC survey also suggested key industries and jobs that are under increasing demand. Included in this are hospitality jobs, care jobs, and the IT sector.
In this article we will identify and discuss jobs within FMCG & Retail that are in high demand. From both KPMG & REC’s survey findings and New Chapter’s observations of the current job market.
1. E-Commerce
The shift to digital was most certainly escalated by the pandemic and lockdown measures put in place. With all brick-and-mortar retail stores having to close their doors to the public. A major element in their survival has been to increase and improve their online presence through their online stores.
Some stores have not survived this transition period, but some have taken on the challenge. With running an online business and being able to increase reach and profits.
Hiring for e-commerce roles has rocketed by 143 per cent in the last year compared to the previous year. LinkedIn’s latest findings show that the current hotspots for e-commerce roles are Birmingham, Northampton, Manchester and Leicester. With roles that are in demand ranging from Marketing roles, ops and warehouse roles.
2. Digital Content
Working in digital content creation is great for businesses at the moment. This is because the role can be done anywhere, you do not have to be office based.
The quality of digital content has always been important, but recently the amount of effective digital content needed has skyrocketed. This is as a result of the increasing use of Ecommerce platforms for trading. With the added use of influencers on social media, and general persuasive copy that is needed across digital platforms.
In the past year, LinkedIn has seen 118 per cent increase in the number of jobs posted in this line of work.
3. Operations Management
An operations manager has a broad remit of responsibilities, and this will depend on the industry and employer. Overall an operations manager is in charge of the smooth running of an organisation. Areas they cover can be split into people, core operations, budgets, delivery and strategy. Successfully managing these five core areas will result in an efficient company.
The top companies hiring for operations managers are Network Rail, Tik Tok, KPMG, Vodafone and Asda.
4. Business Analyst
Overall, the job of a business analyst is to help an organisation plan for the future. This involves understanding where the company is currently at, what its future needs may be and then creating solutions. This typically relates to IT and software solutions. It may include other things like staffing and budgets.
The top companies hiring analysts are; Betway Group, The Scottish Government, Save the Children, NRG and Kellogg Company.
5. Social Media and Digital Marketing
Standing out online is tough and businesses up and down the country are on the lookout for experts in social media and marketing. They help drive up sales and ensure their products or services appeal to as many as possible.
There was an increase in demand for roles such as ‘Growth Hacker’, ‘Growth Specialist’, ‘Marketing Consultant’, ‘Social Media Manager’ and ‘Social Media Coordinator’ in recent months. All of which focus on innovative alternatives to traditional marketing.
Belfast, London and Manchester are all hotspots for jobs in this sector at the moment.
Contact Us!
We recruit many of these roles and more for the FMCG & Retail industries within the UK and Internationally. If you are looking for a role in these fields, click the link below to match your CV to any opportunities we have.
Or are you an FMCG & Retail company looking to expand but do not know where to start? Arrange a chat with one of our specialist consultants below. We love talking everything FMCG & Retail, so would be more than happy to chat with you.
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Drinks Industry: Monthly Sector Spotlight
Continue ReadingMonthly Sector Spotlight: The Drinks Industry
Welcome back to New Chapter Monthly Sector Spotlights!
Each month we are talking to one Consultant from each industry we recruit for here at New Chapter. This month it’s time for our Drinks Consultant Emma to showcase her work in the Drinks industry. We can understand what the Drinks market is looking like at the moment.
Meet Emma!
Emma is the Drinks Industry Divisional Manager here at new Chapter. She has been a vital component to the business for 10 years now. In that time she has made a big name for herself within the Drinks Industry.
Working with brands such as Della Vite, Real Kombucha, Laurent-Perrier, and more. Emma has built up a vast range of experience with premium, non-premium, alcoholic, and non-alcoholic beverages.
So, without further ado, click on the green questions to find out what’s going on in the Drinks industry!
How much it evolves and how there are constantly new trends that are often started by smaller brands that then blow up into a huge new category that the big drinks companies then try to copy.
Take Seedlip as an example. No one was drinking or talking about no/low before those guys showed up and now it’s a huge growing category that’s completely changed the way a lot of us drink. I just find it fascinating.
Sales, Marketing and Operations Managers.
Covid has hit the drinks industry hard, mainly due to the hospitality industry being closed for such a long time. It’s been really interesting to see how brands have evolved quickly in this time though, to offering at home cocktail kits and subscription services and brands investing in their ecomm and D2C channels generally.
From a recruitment perspective, it has been really great to see how many have adapted to interviewing over Teams or Zoom and perhaps meeting for a socially distanced walk as a final stage. This has meant that processes have actually moved much quicker and candidates have even met more of the team as they were able to get people in one place much easier now that everyone is WFH.
Yes, candidates with Ecomm, digital and grocery experience are in high demand!
I think the worlds of no and low is going to continue to evolve and hopefully become a lot more accessible for people to have interesting options if they aren’t drinking.
I’m also really interested to see how English wine evolves to becoming more mainstream. It’s been a quietly growing category for some time now but what with Brexit and/ or people just wanting to consume home grown produce, I think there could be some really exciting growth there.
We hope you have enjoyed this month’s sector spotlight!
If you have any questions regarding your recruitment, or you just fancy a chat about what’s going on in the industry at the moment, give us a call!
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Engineering: Monthly Sector Spotlight
Continue ReadingMonthly Sector Spotlight: Engineering
Welcome to New Chapter’s Monthly Sector Spotlights!
Each month we will be sitting down and having a chat with consultants about the FMCG sector they recruit into. This week, we sat down with Principal Consultant for the Engineering industry, Luke McDonnell.
Meet Luke!
Luke is a recruitment superstar in the Manufacturing industry.
He has expansive knowledge of the FMCG manufacturing industry, with industry experience ranging from Dairy, Ambient Food, Chilled Food, Meat, Beverages and Consumer goods.
Have a quick read of what Luke has said about recruiting within Engineering and where he sees the future of the industry going…
What do you find interesting about recruiting in the Engineering industry?
I really enjoy speaking to candidates in different sectors of engineering, you get to learn how different products are made and it is like an episode of ‘Inside the Factory’ with Gregg Wallace. From yoghurts been made in Shropshire to bread getting baked in Bradford, Ginger beer in Blackburn to cider in Somerset you get an insight to how foods and beverages get from the factory to table on a daily basis by speaking to engineers in the industry.
What skillsets do you recruit for within the Engineering sector?
Predominantly I recruit for Multi Skilled Engineers (Electrical or Mechanical Bias), these engineers are responsible for making sure production keeps running so products can still get on shelves in supermarkets. I also recruit more specialist roles including Reliability Engineers, Automation Engineers, Project Engineers and Engineering Managers.
Has there been any recent changes within your industry that has affected the way your clients conduct business?
Not really, engineering has been a business-critical function throughout COVID-19. Recruitment has not stopped and a lot of good names within FMCG are still expanding their teams even in Projects/Automation and Reliability functions! It’s a great time for engineering candidates to be looking for a new role.
Has there been a recent change in the type of candidate your clients are looking for?
FMCG manufacturing companies do seem to be investing more in automation so these skillsets are on demand, but I do not think much has changed apart from that. Manufacturing companies are always on the look out for good engineers and It seems that candidates are more hesitant to move now! I think one thing to remember as an engineering candidate is that your role is business critical and its safe to move! Especially in the Food/Beverage/Pharmaceutical sector!
Where do you see the future of the Engineering industry going within the food/beverage and pharmaceutical sectors?
I think companies are going to continue to invest in automation and reliability within engineering, it is the way forward. Streamlining and optimising processes seems to be at the forefront of good engineering managers minds and it’s a great time to start upskilling for engineers into these functions to try and support the drive forward in engineering.
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Alcohol Consumption and COVID-19: The Impact
Continue ReadingWith the lifting and re-application of social distancing policies, on-trade businesses are having to keep up with a constantly changing landscape. A report by Kantar suggests businesses should focus more on evolving to the changes instead of re-bounding to the impact of COVID-19
Alcohol sales, as a whole, have grown as a result of opportunities brought by the pandemic. For example, 70% of premium brands have grown their category share! On-trade sales were also temporarily boosted by the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. But when this scheme finished the balance shifted back to Off-trade.
To account for the decrease in On-trade demand, Kantar suggest businesses offer deals that are away from the bar and are outside consumption friendly.
Off-trade alcohol sales however remain the fastest growing category in the UK. Celebratory after work drinking has been replaced by drinking within the home. Beer sales have actually increased exponentially, with a 66% increase between April and June 2020! Also, the No-Lo alcohol category has seen triple digit growth in June.
Here are a few ways that businesses can respond to the evolving trends identified in this article…
Heavily branded categories such as Alcohol and Confectionary are growing at fast rates. It’s important that your business understands the incremental impact of your brand within its category – this will help you to engage and understand your customers
You may want to size-up your bottles and pack-sizes, ready-to-drink offers, premiumisation, and ease of shop findability. Shopper behaviour is going to change to price and promotion expectations as a result of the recession
Shoppers may trade up or down in value as a result of Minimum Unit Pricing!
