Stores have been fighting against giants for decades. In smaller towns, they have seen a loss of customers due to population decline. In larger towns and cities, they had to withstand the boom of shopping centers. And now they must compete with online commerce platforms, which even have setups on the other side of the planet and bring their goods in ships.
Retail trade has been sending out an S.O.S. message for a long time, and the regional government is going to try to throw a lifeline with a Strategic Plan for Retail Trade. The Ministry of Economy, Business, and Employment has already gotten to work, and the goal is to launch it in 2024, with a duration of six years. The horizon is 2030, in line with the Agenda.
For now, the regional government is in the process of tendering consultancy services for the creation of this strategic plan. It was issued with a forecast of a contract value of over 27,000 euros. The Contracting Table has already opened the bids, and out of the five submitted, it proposes to award the contract to the company Infyde Global Consulting for 21,170 euros.
To ensure it is ready before the end of the year, the execution period will be three months. The regional government makes it clear what it aims to achieve. It wants the sector to consolidate and relaunch. It also seeks to modernize companies and enhance their competitiveness. Furthermore, they are looking to promote “quality and attractive” jobs capable of “retaining and attracting talent”.
The awarded company will first need to conduct what is known as a SWOT analysis. This is the term used for diagnostics to detect weaknesses and strengths, threats, and opportunities.
A hallmark of the Junta is dialogue. That’s why it is specified that these tasks must “involve all actors related to the commerce sector of Castilla-La Mancha.” The government insists on conducting in-depth interviews with organizations related to commerce, with members of the Castilla-La Mancha Commerce Observatory, with experts in this field, and also surveying intermediate and final consumers. Once the analysis of weaknesses and strengths is completed and the sector has been consulted, the consulting firm will have to identify the axes and lines of action of the Plan. From there, it will prepare the document itself, detailing both actions and objectives.