Submitting.
The 37-year-old chief executive of textile supplier Pegasus World Holding is immaculately dressed in a white shirt, a checked jacket with a handkerchief carefully placed in the pocket, and dark blue jeans.
He’s charming and affable and there’s a sparkle in his eye as he enthusiastically discusses his business.
It takes a nerve of steel to rip up your well-thought-out business plan and replace it with something completely new but last year Zhou knew he needed to take his company in a different direction.
When the UK went into its first lockdown last March, Zhou realised that only supplying textiles to the hospitality industry put his business in a precarious position.
The effectiveness of the ad economy post-Covid freshbusinessthinking.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from freshbusinessthinking.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Although the steady growth of e-commerce sales in the UK since the mid-2000s has had a dramatic impact on High Street retailers, the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have only accelerated the issue.
The enforced closure of non-essential stores exacerbated so many of the High Street’s problems as online orders were able to continue operating. According to the Office for National Statistics, online sales reached nearly 28% of all retail sales in 2020, up from 19% in 2019. And November saw online sales’ share of the total jump to a record of 36%.
Now, more than 10 months after the start of the pandemic, we are starting to see some light on the horizon. The UK’s rapid rollout of coronavirus vaccines is boosting the confidence of small businesses, and retailers and consumers alike are starting to consider what retail might look like when we finally see the back of this pandemic.
The Great British Workplace Wellbeing Awards with Wellity has launched today.
With employee engagement and wellness finally taking centre stage in the business world, the Great British Workplace Wellbeing Awards recognises the people and organisations helping to make a true difference to the lives of our nation’s working population.
Launched in partnership by the founders of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards and industry experts, and Great British Entrepreneur alumni brand, Wellity Workplace Wellbeing, this programme is committed to shining a spotlight on those positively changing lives of the Great British workforce.
These awards have been launched to recognise and champion the incredible steps taken by many employers, service providers and individuals in response to our global wellbeing crisis.