Accent Group CEO Daniel Agostinelli reflects candidly on how the business manages a lockdown.
Unfortunately we are becoming good at closing stores.
When we hear that there's going to be a lockdown, we have a protocol of how to respond.
It's almost like a checklist.
So we have to consider things like all the communications that go out, particularly to the team.
And obviously it goes deeper into making sure that our suppliers stop sending products and things like that.
It's a nightmare to be honest.
The recent lockdown here in Melbourne saw us close the best part of 40 stores.
So it's very impactful on on sales and profit.
And I think there's a bit of fatigue in the market.
People simply want to get out and just shop, rather than just doing it online.
Yes we immediately see an uplift in digital sales when there's a lockdown, but it's never enough to make up for when you open as a retail business.