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Editor’s Comment: The day the country stood still
For the first time in a while, retail experienced an unexpected shutdown following the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It was a unified, collective display of compassion – a mark of respect to allow people from all corners of the country, and of the industry, to pay tribute to Britain’s longest-serving monarch.
It has been reported that around 30 million people in the UK watched the Queen’s funeral on TV; so as people gathered at home to watch the coverage, towns and cities were deserted. The day the country stood still.
In the thousands of comments, statements and speeches following the Queen’s passing, many people highlighted that for more than 70 years – a period during which the UK (and the world) witnessed unprecedented change – she personified a sense of stability. She led the country through some of our greatest and darkest moments with unmatched dignity, others remarked.
For as long as most of us can remember, she was the most beloved symbol of Great Britain, no matter individual opinion, and she garnered respect, affection and fondness all over the world.
But now the Elizabethan age is over and the country moves forward with a new monarch, but also a new Prime Minister in office – both taking on their respective roles in the span of just two days. This will undoubtedly cause a profound moment of uncertainty about the future and the UK’s position on the world stage.
Flowers laid in tribute to the Queen in Green Park, London
Relationships with other nations may continue to be as strong as ever, and worldwide trading may be completely unaffected; the economy on the other hand is, let’s face it, pretty dire at the moment and the money markets are “jittery”, writes Retra’s Howard Saycell in this issue. But let’s not disappear down that rabbit hole for now – as D:Ream once said, things can only get better… right?
King Charles III has been the longest-ever King-in-waiting, but we might already have a sense of the kind of future he might like to see. For example, he stood in for the Queen at the COP26 climate conference last year where he warned world leaders that “after billions of years of evolution, nature is our best teacher” when it comes to reducing emissions and capturing carbon.
King Charles has been an outspoken supporter of sustainability, renewable energy, organic farming and biodiversity, and he now becomes the UK’s head of state at a time when environmental issues have never been more at the forefront of public minds.
In the retail industry alone, manufacturers are recognising the need for change and coming up with clever new technologies to help consumers be even more climate-conscious in their own homes. They are continually looking for ways to help consumers be more sustainable; small choices made every day can have big impacts on the planet. Whether it’s water usage or energy control or combatting food waste, home appliances especially are becoming better suited to assist in a greener future. And many of these exciting, cutting-edge products and features can be discovered in this month’s Eco Appliances feature – from page 22 of this issue. There’s also a piece from Quiet Mark about noise energy in the home, as three quarters of Brits consider how loud an appliance is when purchasing one.
In the years ahead, I look forward to witnessing even further change in this next ‘eco era’ and I hope as a nation, and as an industry, we continue to push on with developments towards a brighter future. There’s no denying that the time for change is now, and hopefully our leaders’ voices will echo amongst a more planet-friendly and forward-thinking generation ahead.
Jack Cheeseman – Editor – jackcheeseman@ertonline.co.uk
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