Pace of change set to quicken

Fund distribution has changed dramatically in the last 15 years and with the RDR, just one of many things shaking up the industry, the rate of change can only accelerate, says Kira Nickerson, former editor of Investment Week

Fund supermarkets, independent advisers and multi-managers all have one thing in common – 15 years ago they weren’t large players in the distribution of funds. Today they dominate and over the next decade it is expected that will continue. Resurgence in direct consumer sales is also anticipated. Distribution trends in the UK retail market have shifted radically over the past decade with a number of regulatory moves and technological advancements forcing product providers to adapt to the shifting dynamic. Polarisation, in practice since 1987, was reviewed in 1999 with the recommendatio...