From Growth to Resilience: Lessons from UOB FinLab’s First F&B and Retail Reset
Building Capabilities alongside the Business
As businesses grow and ways of working evolve, having the right capabilities in place becomes increasingly important. Systems and technology can support that growth, but businesses also need people with the skills to adapt, take on new responsibilities and put these tools to effective use.
Capability building and upskilling were therefore key themes at the F&B and Retail Reset. Speakers shared practical approaches to optimising manpower, redesigning work for human-AI collaboration and building more agile and resilient teams.
The experiences shared by business leaders reinforced why these capabilities matter in practice.
For Jaryl Sim, Director of Mega Collective, building a strong organisation starts with investing in the people behind the business.
“As we grew from one outlet to multiple outlets and brands, I realised that having the right team with the right skill set is just as important as growth itself. We need to keep upskilling our people and building their capabilities so that the organisation is ready to grow with the business”, said Jaryl.
In practice, this means balancing clear standards with greater ownership among employees. Mega Collective uses SOPs to maintain consistency in areas such as hygiene and customer service, while giving managers and employees the autonomy to resolve day-to-day issues themselves.
This approach extends to how the company builds its workforce. Jaryl prioritises hiring people who align with the company’s culture and vision, rather than simply filling vacancies as they arise. Employees are also given opportunities to attend relevant courses, making continuous learning part of how the team develops over time.
These foundations become particularly important as a business expands. Jaryl cautioned against growing too aggressively before the organisation is ready, as doing so can create inconsistencies across operations. Together, these practices show how businesses can strengthen their workforce over time, empowering employees while maintaining the standards needed to scale.
Make Technology Solve a Business Problem
Digital transformation delivers the greatest value when technology addresses a genuine business need. For F&B and retail businesses, this means looking beyond the number of tools adopted and considering how technology can improve workflows, productivity, and customer experiences.
The gap between adoption and implementation shows why this matters. According to the UOB Business Outlook Survey 2026, in Singapore, 70% of F&B operators plan to scale up their digital investments in 2026 compared with 2025. Yet 60% still rely on siloed, standalone digital tools. More broadly, while 86% of businesses have adopted digital solutions, only 61% report successful implementation.
This challenge extends to AI. As Paul Kan, Country Head, SME Banking (Emerging Enterprise), UOB, observed, “The findings highlight a clear gap between interest and implementation. While many SMEs recognise the potential of AI and digitalisation, most are still in the early stages of adoption and are looking for practical ways to translate technology investments into measurable business outcomes.”
At the F&B and Retail Reset, speakers explored how businesses can bridge this gap by applying AI and digital solutions to practical business challenges through AI workflows, human-AI work redesign, and AI-enabled service design.
Adrien Desbaillets, Co-Founder and CEO of SaladStop!, shared how this can work in practice. The company began developing its own digital infrastructure around a decade ago and has continued expanding it, including through AI-enabled customer experiences.
Reflecting on the pressures facing F&B businesses, Adrien shared that the industry will increasingly be shaped by businesses that “invest in capability rather than those who wait for conditions to improve.”
One example of this approach is Lulu, a personalised nutrition chatbot built on top of the SaladStop! app. Customers can share their goals, mood or macro targets, and Lulu turns these inputs into five customised bowl recommendations. SaladStop! is now building an agentic layer on top of Lulu that will allow partners such as gym trainers and medical professionals to provide recommendations through the same system, creating opportunities for a new B2B revenue stream.
As Adrien explained, “Moving beyond generative AI tools and into agentic workflows is where the margin comes back.” He added that this shift can open up “new revenue streams that were not possible a few years ago.”
Rather than developing every technology in-house from scratch, businesses can tap existing solutions for functions such as demand forecasting, inventory management, and workflow automation.
The opportunity lies in choosing tools that address genuine needs and connecting them effectively. Adrien’s experience also shows how AI can go beyond automation, helping businesses rethink the customer experience while opening up new commercial possibilities.
The takeaway is not that businesses need more technology. They need the right technology for the right problem, supported by people with the capabilities to use it well.
Grow with the Right People around You
Building capabilities does not have to happen within the business alone. Access to partners, industry expertise and peers can provide perspectives and support that complement a business’s internal strengths.
Jaryl’s experience highlights the value of having the right partners along the growth journey.
“I think having a banking partner that understands the whole nature of the F&B business is very important,” he shared.
Beyond financial services, a partner that understands the sector can provide more relevant support as business needs evolve, allowing owners to focus on running and growing the business.
The same value can come from fellow business owners. A business preparing to expand can learn from an operator that has already moved from one outlet to several, while someone considering AI adoption can hear how another business built its digital infrastructure.
This kind of peer learning adds another dimension to capability building. Alongside formal expertise, businesses can draw on the experiences of others who have faced similar challenges.
UOB FinLab helps facilitate these connections by bringing SMEs together with industry practitioners, solution providers and fellow business owners, giving businesses access to knowledge and relationships beyond their own organisations.
The F&B AI and Digital Integration Programme by Enterprise Singapore and UOB further supports F&B businesses in integrating digital systems, adopting AI-enabled solutions and upskilling their workforce.
Building Stronger Businesses Together
For F&B and retail businesses, expansion brings new opportunities, but it also puts greater pressure on day-to-day operations. What works for one outlet may become harder to maintain across several, particularly when customers continue to expect the same quality and experience every time.
This is where operational discipline becomes important. Clear processes can help businesses maintain consistency as they expand, while giving employees the confidence to make decisions and use technology in ways that improve the customer experience.
Ultimately, the F&B and Retail Reset highlighted that building a stronger business is not about pursuing expansion at all costs. As Adrien noted in his reflections on the sector, “without those foundations, expanding abroad only spreads the business thinner.”
Instead, businesses need to strengthen the foundations that allow them to adapt and grow without losing sight of what matters to their customers. By bringing together practical learning, industry perspectives and shared experiences, UOB FinLab continues to support businesses as they prepare for what comes next.
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From Growth to Resilience: Lessons from UOB FinLab’s First F&B and Retail Reset
