Talking Shop by Retail Sector

On this episode of Talking Shop we are joined by Wojtek Kokoszka, CEO at Mention Me. Mention Me works with leading e-commerce and retail brands to transform word-of-mouth into a measurable, scalable growth channel. In this conversation, Wojtek breaks down the macro shifts in consumer behaviour driving today’s trust revolution. We look at why standard retail attribution models fail to track private recommendations on apps like WhatsApp, how direct peer sharing dramatically boosts customer lifetime value, and the practical steps retail teams should take tomorrow morning to tap into their hidden referral networks.

On this episode of Talking Shop, we’re joined by Tony Lorman, Regional President for EMEIA Pacific at Edgewell Personal Care. Overseeing operations across more than 50 diverse markets—spanning Europe, the Middle East, India, Africa, and the Pacific—Tony joins us to look beyond glossy marketing campaigns and explore the operational engine driving successful FMCG brands. In this conversation, Tony shares key lessons from starting his career on the factory floor, how shifting consumer routines are driving product innovation, what it takes to maintain an agile challenger mindset, and why shelf availability and operational discipline remain the true foundation of long-term retail success.

On this episode of Talking Shop we are joined by Alexandra Wood, founder of the eponymous Saville row brand. Alex has spent two decades building a successful business in one of the world's most traditional tailoring districts. But along the way, she completely rethought what she was actually selling. In this conversation, we look past classic tailoring to discuss wider retail lessons—how lifestyle shifts have permanently changed how customers build wardrobes and how store owners can balance a high-end luxury feel with a warm, welcoming client experience.

On this episode of Talking Shop we are joined by Matt Pavich, Senior Director of Strategy & Innovation at Revionics—the team helping global retailers navigate price optimisation and promotional strategy. Matt has spent over two decades working across retail buying, consulting, and pricing innovation. In this conversation, we get past the headline hype around AI to look at how algorithms actually work on the shop floor and online. We cover how to respond when consumers use tools like ChatGPT to comparison-shop, why up to two-thirds of promotions end up driving losses, and how AI helps merchants maintain price consistency across websites, apps, and physical stores without missing out on localised margin wins

On this episode of Talking Shop we are joined by David Jennison, Managing Director, Europe at Pattern - the e-commerce accelerator helping brands scale across global marketplaces. David has sat on every side of the digital fence - from Amazon leadership to tech entrepreneurship - and he brings a sharp, practical lens to the challenges high-street brands face online. We explore how the model of buying inventory and sharing risk fundamentally changes brand partnerships, what it really takes to surrender operational control to win on marketplaces, and how to prepare your products for a world where AI agents do the browsing for your customers.

On this episode of Talking Shop we are joined by Barb Hyman, Founder and CEO of Sapia.ai - the platform helping brands like Starbucks, Costa, and Holland & Barrett streamline and humanise how they hire. Barb recently returned from the World Retail Congress with a pretty stark takeaway: retail bosses are spending millions to shave two seconds off a checkout queue, yet they still treat their hiring process as a back-office task. We explore why your recruitment strategy directly impacts your bottom line, the commercial boost you get when you treat job applicants—who are often also customers— well, and how technology can actually make the application process feel more human.

On this episode of talking shop we are joined by Bruce Findlay, Managing Director for Retail at Landsec, the property giant behind shopping destinations like Bluewater, Trinity Leeds, and Gunwharf Quays. With a 25-year background running major consumer brands across Europe and Asia, Bruce brings a unique tenant's perspective to the landlord world. We explore the brand-side blindspots he can see clearly now, how Landsec tracks the real financial cross-pollination of mixing retail with cinemas and food halls, and how to balance agile pop-ups with long-term leases.

On this episode of Talking Shop, we sit down with Katie Peake, Co-Founder of creative agency Backlash, to talk about the roaring comeback of brick-and-mortar retail. Katie shares how temporary spaces can completely transform a heritage brand's perception, win over hyper-savvy Gen Z shoppers, and serve as a vital tool for capturing first-party customer data. We also get a fascinating behind-the-scenes reality check on the rise of AI-designed pop-ups , the logistical boundaries of physical retail , and how independent brands can master experiential marketing on any budget.

On this episode of Talking Shop, we are joined by Sammy Allanson, Client Partner Lead for the North of England at business change and transformation specialist Sullivan & Stanley. We break down why the North is one of the UK’s most critical retail growth engines - and why conquering it requires deep local credibility rather than superficial corporate visibility exercises. We look at Sullivan & Stanley's latest research to dissect the massive "value gap" in retail transformation, exploring how to tell if a project is creating genuine commercial value or just generating frantic internal activity. We also discuss why nostalgia isn't enough to save struggling high-street staples, and the practical changes retail bosses need to make tomorrow morning to escape the constant cycle of operational firefighting.

On this episode of Talking Shop, we are joined by Nikki Baird, Vice President of Strategy and Product at Aptos. Nikki has spent decades separating technology hype from real-world consumer behavior. Today, we delve into the emergence of the "dark funnel" and how LLMs like ChatGPT are disrupting traditional retail search pipelines, breaking retail media networks, and forcing retailers to their re-evaluate product landing page. We also discuss why AI adoption is hitting a wall because foundational data integration is still broken, how to transition high-turnover staff away from traditional cash registers into mobile sales-enablement tools, and where the smartest retail IT leaders are reallocating their budgets for the second half of 2026 to ensure real ROI instead of just firefighting.

On this episode of Talking Shop we are joined by Phil James, founder and Creative Director of the contemporary heritage clothing brand &SONS. Phil began his career behind the lens as a commercial advertising photographer, working with global brands to hone a distinct visual language. But in 2016, he decided to step out from behind the camera to build a brand of his own. Today, we’re discussing what it means to approach the fashion industry as a self-taught outsider, and the reality of moving from a world where you control the final visual image to one dictated by physical supply chains. We also delve into how &SONS is navigating a tough trading environment with soaring production costs, how to resist the pressure to chase short-term trends, and the actual operational difference between managing a transactional customer base and fostering a true global community.

On this episode of Talking Shop, I’m joined by Dan Cate, CEO and Founder of SoldThrough. Dan is a heavyweight retail executive who has spent decades steering the merchandising and digital operations of America’s most iconic retail institutions, from Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s to Century 21 and Lord & Taylor. Today, through his platform SoldThrough, Dan helps international fashion brands cross the Atlantic and crack the notoriously brutal U.S. retail landscape. We’re breaking down his journey from the shop floor to the C-suite, the operational indicators that prove a brand is truly ready for international expansion, and how to navigate a fragmented American market without destroying your margins. We also discuss how to balance localised inventory with central efficiency, and the one non-negotiable metric that tells you a product has found genuine market fit.

On this episode of Talking Shop I’m joined by Alain Bejjani—former Group CEO of Middle East retail giant Majid Al Futtaim, and author of the definitive new book, NEXT: Leading Through the New Realities. Drawing on his childhood in war-torn Beirut, and his experience steering a $9.5bn dollar retail and lifestyle empire through a global pandemic, Alain brings an unmatched perspective on leadership under pressure. Today, we break down his crisis survival playbook for retailers operating in distress. We discuss why resilience must always outpace efficiency, the four assets a brand must protect at all costs, and how to turn macro-turmoil into a long-term direction that scales.

On this episode of Talking Shop, I’m joined by Millie Kendall, co-founder and CEO of the British Beauty Council. For over 30 years, Millie has been a driving force in the retail landscape, instrumental in the global success of cult beauty brands and co-founder of the iconic Ruby & Millie. Today, she has shifted her focus from brand marketing to industry-wide policy at Westminster. We're discussing why beauty has become the ultimate anchor for high-street footfall, why digitally native brands are rushing into bricks-and-mortar to build trust, and how a physical store can deliver an irreplaceable moment of discovery in an increasingly AI-driven world.

On this episode of Talking Shop we are joined by Chris Doe, Marketing & Innovations Director at Pilgrim’s Food Europe. With a career spanning over 15 years at FMCG giants like General Mills and Nomad Foods, Chris now oversees a portfolio including household names like Richmond and Fridge Raiders. We examine the rigorous R&D behind the new Fridge Raiders 'Grills to the theoretical frameworks for revitalising "tired" brands. We also discuss how to audit your most sacred brand assets, the evolving power dynamic between big brands and private labels, and the leadership non-negotiables required to keep a team focused when the retail landscape is shifting under their feet.

On this episode of Talking Shop, I’m joined by Ros Marshall, Managing Director of the Scottish underwear brand Molke. What started as a kitchen-table idea has grown into a global retail operation, shipping 25,000 bras a year to customers in over 76 countries around the world. We discussed Ros’s personal journey through imposter syndrome, why she believes confidence is a learned skill rather than a personality trait, and why it is not difficult to balance high-level ethical accreditations with the commercial realities of the textile industry in 2026.

On this episode of Talking Shop we are joined by Nicolaas Kroone, Co-founder and Creative Director of Bloom Studios. As retailers struggle to feed an "infinite" hunger for content, Nicolaas is helping brands move beyond the bottleneck of traditional production. We discuss the rise of "logistic-free shoots," why every product needs a photorealistic digital twin, and how marketing managers are shifting from being on-set directors to orchestrators of AI systems. We also explore how to protect a brand’s visual soul in a world of automation and why the "human touch" is still the only thing an algorithm can't replace.

On this episode of Talking Shop, we speak to Verity Hurd, Head of Brand Marketing at Duel. We discuss how Duel helps retailers transform organic word-of-mouth into scalable growth, and why the traditional 'influencer manager' role has fundamentally shifted in recent years. Verity shares the metrics that actually matter beyond simple reach numbers and provides a roadmap for how retailers can start building a high-impact brand advocacy strategy in today’s market.

In this episode we’re joined by Daniel Todaro, managing director of Gekko. With a career spanning everything from grocery to high-end computing. Daniel has been at the centre of retail's most iconic moments, including helping Apple execute its early retail experiences. Today, we're discussing the challenges of maintaining a pure brand identity under someone else's roof, why the human sales associate is still the most powerful algorithm for conversion and how to turn a simple transaction into genuine brand advocacy.

On this episode of Talking Shop we are joined by Kathryn Wright, COO of Antavo Loyalty Cloud. With UK consumers currently leaving an estimated £3bn in unspent points on the table, the gap between joining a programme and actually using it has never been wider. Today, we dive into Antavo’s Global Customer Loyalty Report 2026 to discuss escaping the "discount death spiral," the rise of agentic AI, and how to transform loyalty from a marketing cost into a long-term profit engine.