It’s odd to even know where to begin when looking back at 2020 - what a year! It goes without saying that this year has been extremely tough for everyone and anything but ordinary, it has really felt like starting up a new company again - as everything has needed to be reinvented.
From challenge comes innovation
Lockdown was an immense challenge for us here at BLANC, causing us to close down an entire business - including our stores, office, Atelier and logistics. Having to then re-open securely, 2 months later was an equally difficult challenge! Maintaining team morale was always going to be tough over this time and it still is: the BLANC office team works from home a lot, and everyone has to manage (often, stressful!) personal lives - which have only been exacerbated by the current pandemic.
2020 has allowed us to dig further into the needs of our customers and has brought many great ideas along with it. From tailoring consultations via video calls, to mail to order alterations, to promoting our Wash & fold service and adapting our opening hours to fit around your new routines.
Digitally, we have been working hard to enable a better quality service, journey and overall experience for our customers. This is only to be expanded on in 2021 for our app launch, which is just around the corner…
Focusing on what we do best: sustainability
The silver lining of 2020 is that it has pushed the need for a circular economy and sustainable practices into the focus and has put the spotlight on the many fights we have had for years - these sustainable practices have since become obvious for many more people, so it felt great to be recognised and to see other companies accelerating these critical topics as well.
We have also managed to expand our operations during 2020, proving that hard work really does pay off and our values matter more than ever. Alongside this, we have collaborated with some amazing brands, both digitally and in-store - from The White Company to COS and Save Your Wardrobe, to name but a few.
We have also managed to progress on many great projects: the road to becoming a ‘B Corporation' being one of them. We have switched all our electricity to green energy and half of our delivery vans fleet are now fully electric with the goal to finalise this transition early next year.
Social Justice at BLANC
At BLANC, respecting all life on this planet (starting with our employees), and advocating for the protection of all people and our environment will always be at our core.
This year at BLANC, we took concrete steps and created clear goals and policies to reflect our social ambitions, empower our people and reduce injustice and inequalities. In this spirit, we are also setting out our application to become a 'B Corporation', which will enable us to add a legal frame to our vision for a more just society and to help us to prevent any form of intolerance.
