It’s an interesting time to be President of IGD. On the one hand IGD is celebrating its centenary – a sign, perhaps, that the grocery industry in the UK is built to last. On the other hand, people are talking about the current downturn being the most significant change we have ever seen. It will be a testing time for all of us, but I think we’re up for the challenges we’re about to face, and we can come out the other end stronger than ever.

	Justin King, Chief Executive, Sainsbury's

Just as consumers economise at times like this – reacting as much to the general mood as to their own financial circumstances – so do many companies. It’s a psychological trap which feels like the natural thing to do, but this can be the very best moment to get a great deal or make significant investment, ensuring you are able to exit the downturn even stronger than before.

After the recession we’ll face an unfamiliar landscape requiring a different mix of skills, knowledge and experience. Companies will no doubt have created leaner and more fluid structures requiring more multi-skilled people. Just as savvy shoppers will take advantage of some of the bargains on offer during the recession, so the best companies will adapt and change habits of a lifetime and emerge as different organisations from the ones they were before.

The grocery industry is robust, and we are fortunate to be working in it. So we should be among those still investing – particularly in our people. Personal development becomes even more important and can make all the difference in maintaining morale and rewarding our best talent. More than ever we will need to attract and retain the finest employees. We will need to invest in the personal development of each individual team member in order to mark us out as an industry that’s the best for our country’s brightest to work in. I am sure our continued success will make us a much more attractive proposition for today’s graduates than perhaps we have been in the past.

	The best companies will adapt and change.

This call for serious investment and effort in personal development isn’t new. As reported in The Grocer in 1909, the reason for forming the Institute of Certificated Grocers, the forerunner of IGD, was “the promotion of the technical education movement in the grocery and provision trade with an emphasis on education that it is practical and has real value”. It was important in 1909 and remains so in 2009.

Some will say that developing people is expensive and cash is too scarce at the moment. But investment can be in time rather than money. In fact, many of the best development experiences are available at no or very little cost.

A perfect example is IGD’s Leading Edge initiative. This network of 4,700 members will be providing 1,200 development opportunities this year in 30 locations across the country – and it’s free of charge. With professional trainers delivering hands-on masterclasses and a motivational annual convention, we’ve calculated that participants can receive £3,500 worth of development per year for free in this way. It’s an excellent way to broaden skills and network with a diverse group across the supply chain.

Visit Leading Edge

For farmers, IGD is providing marketing workshops, together with the NFU and Kent Business School. And to celebrate our centenary we’re encouraging smaller businesses to take up a number of free scholarships to our Postgraduate Certificate in Food and Grocery Management – the professional and practical qualification that has grown from our 100-year heritage in training and education.

IGD Centenary Scholarships

So IGD is playing a full part in helping people in the food chain gain new skills – just as we were in 1909.

The food and grocery industry is more recession-resilient than most. Unlike some industries we know we can make it through these tough times and indeed continue to prosper. We should show the courage of our convictions, demonstrate our confidence in our people and set a lead in building for the future.

When recovery comes, those with the most highly motivated and skilled workforce will be ready to take advantage. I expect food and grocery to be in the vanguard.
 

This article first appeared in The Grocer on Saturday 25 April 2009.