Trust Retail partners with Retail Trust 

Trust Retail has announced a corporate partnership with the Retail Trust to strengthen wellbeing support for UK retail workers. The move comes as new research highlights growing concerns about mental health, financial pressures and customer abuse across the sector.

The partnership will see Trust Retail, part of the Trust Payments Group, support the charity’s work to improve employee health and wellbeing, extend access to practical resources and raise awareness of the challenges facing people working in retail.

The announcement follows research for the Retail Trust’s Living Well in Retail handbook, which found that 71 per cent of retail workers were experiencing deteriorating mental health, while nearly one in five were struggling to meet their monthly outgoings.

The research also found that two-thirds of retail managers were concerned about the impact of abusive customers, highlighting the pressures facing frontline employees and those responsible for managing teams.

The findings raise wider questions for employers about how workplace conditions, financial insecurity and customer-facing pressures affect employee wellbeing, particularly in sectors where staff may have limited flexibility or access to support during working hours.

The Retail Trust’s latest Retail People Index also identified concerns around employee retention and presenteeism.

According to the report, 49 per cent of distribution workers and 47 per cent of store colleagues were at risk of leaving their jobs, while 40 per cent of both groups reported attending work despite feeling physically or mentally unwell.

The figures underline the relationship between workforce wellbeing and business performance, with poor employee health potentially contributing to higher absence, reduced productivity and staff turnover.

For retail employers, the challenge extends beyond providing access to wellbeing services. It also involves addressing the working conditions and organisational pressures that can contribute to poor mental health, including workload, customer behaviour, financial concerns and the support available from managers.

Through the partnership, Trust Retail and the Retail Trust will work together to help more employees access wellbeing advice, resources and support.

The collaboration will also create opportunities for Trust Retail’s own employees to engage with the charity’s activities, alongside wider industry initiatives aimed at improving awareness of workforce wellbeing.

Trust Retail provides technology and payment solutions to retailers, including inventory management, ecommerce and customer engagement systems. The company said its relationship with the sector had reinforced the importance of supporting the people behind retail businesses.

Mike Dotson, Managing Director at Trust Retail, said: “Working with retailers every day gives us a clear view of the pressures facing the sector, not just operationally, but at a people level too. Technology can help businesses operate more effectively, but the strength of any retailer ultimately depends on the people behind it.”

He added: “Partnering with the Retail Trust gives us the opportunity to contribute beyond technology and payments. By putting practical resources behind its work and engaging our own people in the partnership, we can help extend the support available to retail workers and raise awareness of the pressures many colleagues continue to face. We want to play a part in building a retail sector where people feel supported, valued and able to thrive. That is good for employees, good for retailers and important for the long-term resilience of the industry.”

The Retail Trust has supported people working in the retail industry since 1832, providing services and resources aimed at protecting their health and wellbeing.

Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said: “This partnership will help us build on the progress being made to improve wellbeing across the retail industry by strengthening the support our charity can provide and helping us to reach even more people. We are grateful for Trust Retail’s support in creating healthier, happier and more resilient retail workplaces.”

The partnership comes as employers face growing pressure to demonstrate that workplace wellbeing investment is delivering meaningful improvements in employee health, retention and organisational resilience.