ASDA: Clapham Junction 2020 retail study by the RSA

2 mins read
2

The RSA presented its report on the future of retail at the horizon of 2020. They argue that building a future retail model which coordinates corporate operations to maximise local social an economic impact will become a key competitive advantage in a decade, in which traditional physical stores are set to experience transition and disruption.
Building on six months of research with three Asda stores (Clapham Junction, Tilbury and Oldham)this Asda funded report sets out the business case and the social drivers of change.
It provides a roadmap for how a large retailer like Asda can evolve to co-produce a future shared value retail model: one that is locally adaptable and supported by corporate organisational strength.

They recommend how retailers can take action to develop a shared value retail model and how Asda can transition, building on the experience gained in their innovative and ambitious Community Life programme, to develop a community venturing function.

In their recommendations for the retail sector they say that the business should undertake community development activities and explore new shared value ventures locally. It sets out the principles for a local autonomy of retail stores and urge them to engage locally.

It could take several forms, such as using the store as a recruitment hub for volunteering, bringing leisure and entertainment activities into stores and car parks, and endowing community trusts with unused assets.

The event featured a panel debate including Nick Hurd MP, Minister for Civil Society; Paul Kelly, Asda External Affairs Director; Alana Renner, Deputy Communications Director at the Post Office; Laura Bunt, Head of Policy Research at Citizens Advice; and chaired by Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the RSA. This will be preceded by discussions with Asda employees who champion community engagement, and followed by a Q&A with the panel more generally.

Alana Renner said that the Post Office is currently exploring how to improve their branches to combine more social and commercial success (maybe there is something to do with Asda which is next door!). Paul Kelly said that the business is different from that of 2008 and that the society expectations have changed. Nick Hurd, MP gave 2 advices: 1- be ambitious; 2- be committed to it.
The future will show the shape of the business involvement. The audience raised interesting questions: While the State is withdrawing and the business is profit driven, where can we draw the line? And what happens if local community interest conflicts with local government plans/commercial interest and create tensions?

In any case, we look forward to opportunities to work with Asda Clapham Junction!

The RSA is a 250 year old charity, specialised in public services and organisation. They undertake influential and varied research projects and their work is supported by 27,000 Fellows, an international network of influencers and innovators from every field and background.

Asda Clapham Junction is the largest retail unit in the town centre. They employ 420 people and the supermarket is open 24 h/day from Monday to Saturday 11pm, Sunday 10am-5pm. The RSA worked through interviews of many community stakeholders and a workshop held in the PCS building mid-July 2013.

The RSA report 2020 Retail: Shopping for Shared Value is available for download HERE.

Did you like reading this article? Help us write more!

Clapham Junction Insider (formerly known as the CJAG website) has been publishing local news for over 14 years and remains committed to providing information about the local community and engaging in public interest journalism.

Our goal is to feature a wide range of community campaigns and initiatives, local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, and provide assistance to residents.

We have always been dedicated to these endeavours and have no intention of changing. In fact, we would like to expand our efforts further.

Until recently, all the stories, analyses, and reports published have been made possible with the invaluable help of many volunteers. However, it requires a significant amount of time and effort, and we are frustrated that we cannot do more. There are numerous topics we would like to cover, but we require financial resources to provide regular information.

Therefore, we kindly ask our readers to consider offering financial support to sustain these efforts. Any contributions made will help support community and public interest news, as well as the expansion of our coverage in this area.

2 ways of supporting our project

Do you think what we are doing is helping the community and you want to encourage us to do more? We have set up two ways of supporting our project:

  1. Paypal: For one-off contributions, you can just use your bank card. However if you wish to encourage and support us regularly with a small amount, you will need a Paypal account to set up a monthly subscription. Click here to donate.
  2. Patreon: this is a well-known membership platform that connects content creators with supporters. Mainly, it offers financial tools that let supporters subscribe to projects that give creators a predictable income stream as they continue to create content. Click here to subscribe and support us regularly.

If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

CJI editor and Clapham Junction Action Group co-founder and coordinator since 2008, Cyril has lived in Clapham Junction since 2001.
He is also funder and CEO of Habilis-Digital Ltd, a digital agency creating and managing websites and Internet solutions.

2 Comments

  1. Who are the RSA, and why can’t they speak in plain English? Five paragraphs in, I still had no idea what they were talking about!

    • As I say toward the bottom of this article, the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) is a 250 year old charity, specialised in public services and organisation. They undertake influential and varied research projects and their work is supported by 27,000 Fellows, an international network of influencers and innovators from every field and background.
      About the 5 paragraphs, do you mean the 5 paragraphs of their report (it’s nearly 80 pages)? Or this article (I’m not affiliated to the RSA in anyway)?

Comments are closed.