Retailers and wholesalers have called on the EU to work on a new deal for SMEs, in a paper launched by EuroCommerce, a group that represents the retail sector across Europe.
The paper, entitled The Contribution of Retail and Wholesale to the EU Economy, highlights the challenges that face small traders, pointing to the need for the EU and national authorities to provide support for SME retailers and wholesalers.
The proposed measures include offering aid to develop online platforms, providing easier access to finance, a stronger approach to enforcing Single Market rules, removing barriers to SMEs operating across borders, and reducing burdens for small exporters and importers.
Greater Possibilities
“Our sector makes a massive contribution to the EU economy, as the largest private-sector employer, and a highly productive and adaptable industry accounting for over €5.5 trillion of turnover," said Christian Verschueren, director general of EuroCommerce.
"Small retailers and wholesalers can make a real difference in innovation, adapting quickly to ever-changing customer demand, but they need help in embracing [...] digital technology, which should be a vehicle for them to adapt and expand beyond their local and national markets."
"We need a new deal for SME retailers and wholesalers to help them take up the possibilities this technology offers,” Verschueren concluded.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
