2020/21 Reporting Season: how much harder could it be for retailers? 13 January 2021: With a difficult year behind them, the upcoming reporting season is likely to cause further issues for both retailers and their auditors. We speak to Jacqui Baker, boutique owner and Audit Director at RSM UK Audit, about year ends, going concern and wellbeing. “In the background, I have always had a massive interest in retail, and particularly fashion,” says Baker. “A few years ago, an opportunity to participate in the opening of my own boutique arose. I grabbed it with both hands.” The boutique opened 18 months ago. “It has been a very different 18 months than we had anticipated,” says Baker, wearing her retailer’s hat. “Sales were phenomenal until the first lockdown. But when we were forced to close, we had to harness our digital platforms and our social media came into its own as a sales channel.”