Revitalising Retail 2020 workshops by European Commission

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ballina-wp-admin 18th January 2021

In the wake of the pandemic – what does ‘A European retail sector fit for the 21st Century’ mean?
Local decision makers were invited to find out more about the European Commission’s policy on retail and explore what comes next for the retail sector after the forced closures due to COVID-19, as a series of interactive virtual workshops were hosted in September, October 2020 and more recently January of 2021.

Virtual workshops: Revitalising Retail 2020 (workshop 2) Published on: 18/09/2020. The focus of the workshop was ‘Retail: Recovery and (re)birth’. It aimed to gather feedback and encourage an exchange on how to help shops recover from forced closures due to COVID-19.

Event date: 20/10/2020 to 21/10/2020Location: This event will be held online.

NEW, 13 January 2021: The final report of the Revitalising Retail workshops 2020 is now available.

The workshop explored what needs to be looked at in the retail sector, what may have been learned during the crisis and what is needed in the short and long term to recover and build resilience.

The role of retail in enhancing urban regeneration and reviving local communities within and outside city centres was also discussed.

The workshop was based on the Commission Communication, ‘A European retail sector fit for the 21^st Century’. It aimed to give participants, mainly local decision makers (those responsible for retail/city centres in regional or local administrations), the opportunity to learn which principles in the Services Directive apply to their decisions on opening shops in their local area, and to see how different EU countries approach the regulation of retail.

The workshop was also an opportunity to discuss how small retailers could benefit from support programmes under the ‘Recovery and Resilience Facility’ that was outlined in the 2021 Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy.

Participants also learned how to use the Commission guide ‘Facing the Future’ through the presentation of a real life example from experts, which shows what really works to revitalise and modernise small retailers and keep city centres lively and attractive, and how this was adapted to deal with the crisis.

We hope that participants managed to pick up practical tips, have their questions answered, learn from other participants, and make contacts for the future so they can act to help their city’s retailers.

See more information about the Revitalising Retail workshops.

The workshops are part of the Single Market Forum 2019/2020.