Much like members of the public who’ve been busy trying to bag tickets for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, retailers have been lining up to gain places on Olympic ‘readiness’ courses so that they’re fully up-to-speed on everything they need to know ahead of what’s being billed as ‘the greatest show on Earth’.
So great is the demand from retail loss prevention and security specialists that Oris has doubled the number of dates in its series of Olympic resilience review meetings.
The popularity of the three original sessions has meant that the profit protection specialist has put on three more events on Wednesday 20 July, Tuesday 27 September and Tuesday 18 October. All will be in central London between 10:00 am and 3.00 pm.
Glen Evans of the Arcadia Group, who attended the first session in June, commented: “This event was well worth attending. It was very interesting and a great opportunity to share ideas with colleagues in the same field.”
John Prior of Home Retail Group added: “The Oris session provided a really good insight into the key issues.”
The aim of the sessions is to help businesses make sure that they are prepared for the challenges the Games will bring to the UK.
Around 60% of London businesses believe the event will have a minimal impact upon their operations. However, every company will be impacted in one way or another argues Kerinda Ibbotson, managing director of Oris.
Points for retailers to bear in mind
“Although many businesses have started their planning, plenty have told us that they’ve had to seek out the information themselves rather than seeing it being proactively pushed out by the Olympic organising bodies. They say the information is in scarce supply, particularly in relation to the disruption to store openings and deliveries as well as transport infrastructure.”
Ibbotson added: “Businesses are aware of the heightened threat of terrorism which is of course a serious concern. How many of them, though, have fully considered the impact on trading and the day-to-day operational challenges they’ll face, such as disruption to transport and supply chains and absent employees?”
Collaboration is needed across the UK and not just in London, as many events – including the water-based sports and football – will be taking place in centres and stadiums across the country, from Weymouth to Glasgow.
The Olympic Games will be staged between 27 July and 9 September next year. London will see the equivalent of the population of Leeds descending upon it in addition to the existing population going about its daily business.
Annual events in the Capital that will also require police response including the Notting Hill Carnival and Wimbledon. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee is also likely to attract large crowds.
Almost 11 million tickets will be on sale for the 2012 Games, while 20 million extra trips will be made during the event (with 80% of spectators using public transport to travel around the Capital).
“It’s about retailers trading ‘business as usual’, by ensuring good continuity and planning,” continued Ibbotson.
“It’s like a relay: all parties must work together to ensure that the baton is passed seamlessly to ensure the smooth running of business operations during the Olympics.”
The Oris Olympic retail resilience review meetings will cover a number of areas including planning, transport disruption, pre- and post-Games activity, security and incident escalation and staffing issues.
Information on the meetings may be accessed by clicking on the web link at the foot of this article
Olympics cash prize scam: warning from Action Fraud
Croydon Council is warning residents to watch out for e-mails purporting to be from the organisers of the London 2012 Olympics, claiming they have won a cash prize.
The scam e-mail includes an attachment which appears to be from the London 2012 Olympics organisers. The letter states that the recipient has been chosen at random as the winner of a large cash prize.
The scam letter features London 2012 logos in an attempt to look convincing. It tries to persuade the recipient to act quickly and keep their actions a secret. People are asked to send a number of personal details to an ‘agent’ who will administer the so-called claim.
This is a scam. There is no cash prize and scammers can use personal details to commit fraud.
Protect yourself from fraud
Read more about the Olympics cash prize scam warning on Croydon Council’s website (a dedicated link is provided at the foot of this article)
