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BUSINESS THROUGH INNOVATION FROM PAGE 17 “There are also more requests for tamper evident containers and portioned sizes to ensure food is hygienic and safe,” he said. Mr Marinucci believes having fresh food ready to consume at convenient outlets which are hygienic and safe to visit will be increasingly important. “Customers need assurance that the products they’re purchasing are safe and fresh,” he said. “There’ll be a lot of lessons learnt from the COVID-19 experience, and the way forward is to be offering consumers what they want: fresh healthy food that’s convenient and safe to eat. “\\\[They\\\] will favour the relative safety and security offered by OTR TAKES ON THE PANDEMIC Despite COVID-19, OTR opened two new stores in regional Victoria in April and May. This, says CEO Warren Wilmot, was the result of a great operations team and local partnerships in the regional towns to progress the development and keep it largely on track. Mr Wilmot adds that he has also been impressed by the well planned, responsive approach taken by OTR’s marketing and communications team that was prepared for many different possibilities with appropriate signage, safety measures and communication to protect the wellbeing of its teams and customers alike. “Thankfully, most scenarios didn’t eventuate,” he said. “However, preparation was key. “It was also good to see that our head office team could adapt quickly with the technology to work effectively from home or remote locations. “Overall, I think one of the greatest achievements during the COVID-19 pandemic was our team’s measured response, where we didn’t overreact and were able to acknowledge our team members in-store as the frontline ‘essential workers’ that they are. All OTR stores continued to trade 24/7 and this wouldn’t have been possible without the tireless contribution of our team, whom we celebrated as ‘superheroes’.” Mr Wilmot says it will be interesting to see how the P&C channel will adapt. “There’s a fair chance that customers will want to return to life as they knew it, in terms of their normal work routine and spending habits,” he said. On the contrary, though, Mr Wilmot admits Australia’s biggest ongoing issue may be the effects of a recession/depressive economy and high unemployment. “This will undoubtedly have a huge impact on discretionary spend and the need for takeaway food and food on the go,” he said. Mr Wilmot also notes that many overseas experts believe electric vehicle penetration may slow, due to low oil prices. “On the upside,” he said, “the industry might see increased fuel sales again as road trips to regional areas replace overseas flights and interstate holidays for a while. These local ‘staycations’ could stick around for several years, so this is likely to benefit regional tourism and P&C sites in these country areas.” Mr Wilmot says OTR will need to closely monitor exactly how consumers change in the coming months, as the recession may drive value-buying, so “clever” promotions and price points may become a key focus. “Potentially, we’ll also accelerate OTR’s move to more digital and contactless transactions,” he said. 18 CONVENIENCE WORLD JUL/AUG, 2020