Retail Disrupted (Natalie Berg)

Amazon’s pay-by-palm technology is being tested in select Panera locations in the US. JP Morgan will also begin piloting biometrics-based payments with US retailers this year.

According to Google Intelligence, global biometric payments are expected to reach $5.8 trillion and three billion users by 2026.

Are shoppers ready for this next level of convenience? How will Amazon benefit? And how can linking loyalty programmes create a more personalised (perhaps too personalised) experience?

For more, visit www.nbkretail.com

Paul Edney, Technology Director Channels at Primark, and Jeanette Copeland, Technology Director at Ann Summers, join Natalie to discuss lessons from their digital transformation projects. They explore:

• The rationale behind Primark’s click & collect roll-out and how it’s enabling the retailer to engage with new customers.
• How Ann Summers completed a 12-month transformation project in just four months.
• 2025 strategic priorities for both businesses.
• Working backwards from the customer, testing and learning, embracing failure – how digital transformation requires cultural change.
• The importance of speed to market while balancing cost and flexibility. Is WAgile (waterfall + agile) the new way of working?
• From virtual sizing tech to in-store payment innovation, which technologies are the retailers excited about for the future?

Today’s episode is sponsored by PMC and was recorded live at the PMC customer event at Silverstone Museum. 

From supporting end-of-life legacy systems through to providing the latest digital retail solutions, PMC helps you take control of your technology and drive your own agenda. PMC has proudly supported the commerce sector for over 20 years, and our specialist domain knowledge, experienced teams, and proactive approach makes us the partner of choice for delivering customer-centric transformations. For more, visit PMC. 

Bios:

Paul Edney, Technology Director Channels, Primark
 
Paul is a senior IT leader with 20+ years of experience, specialising in retail, ecommerce, and transformation. He excels at crafting strategies that enhance customer experience and operational efficiency. As Technology Channels Director at Primark, he leads global tech initiatives, overseeing system integrations, re-platforming, and business transformation to drive growth and innovation.
 
Jeannette Copeland, Director of Technology, Ann Summers
 
Jeannette leads the technology division at the iconic Ann Summers brand, spearheading digital innovation since 2022. With over 20 years of experience in IT, she has held key roles at Joules and Systemax Europe Ltd, specialising in ERP, data integration and business intelligence.

Prefer video? Watch Helen and Natalie's conversation on YouTube.

Helen Dickinson OBE, CEO of the British Retail Consortium, joins the podcast to discuss the BRC’s 2024 manifesto. Topics include: 

• Business rates: how is the retail industry disproportionately affected and what does reform look like?
• Retail jobs and impact of AI: how can the industry continue to attract and retain talent?
• Shoplifting and staff abuse: what more can be done to deter retail theft?
• ESG: how can retailers accelerate their transition to net zero and what are the BRC’s policy recommendations? 
• Tax-free shopping: did the government underestimate the impact of scrapping this and might we see a U-turn?
• The everywhere economy: what is the BRC’s vision for the future of retail?

For more, visit https://brc.org.uk/

Follow Helen on LinkedIn 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave us a rating or review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor, keynote speaker, podcast host, and bestselling author of Remarkable Retail. He joins Natalie to discuss the findings of his new book, LEADERS LEAP: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption.

They explore:

• The cost of misunderstanding risk – why playing it safe is the riskiest strategy of all.
• Why a complete metamorphosis of the leadership mindset is essential to thrive in the face of accelerating change.
• Why some brands get stuck in the “unremarkable middle” and how to overcome internal complacency.
• Why Steve believes many US department stores have no chance of turning themselves around.
• The Dallas drone wars – is this the future of home delivery? 

Natalie also shares a few thoughts on Amazon’s 30th anniversary.

Steve’s bio:

Steve has been named a top global retail influencer by multiple organizations, and his thoughts on the future of shopping are regularly shared in his role as a Forbes Senior Contributor, as well as through other media, including CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg. As a sought-out keynote speaker, Steve has delivered talks on six continents, sharing his unique perspective on what it takes to reignite customer growth in a world of unrelenting change and shifting consumer preferences. Steve is President of SageBerry Consulting, where he has advised dozens of brands on their growth strategies. Prior to founding Sageberry, he was chief strategy officer and SVP, multichannel marketing at the Neiman Marcus Group. He serves on multiple for profit and non-profit boards. Steve holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from Tufts University. He lives in Dallas, Texas.

Links:

LEADERS LEAP: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption

Steve on LinkedIn

Steve on X

Steve on Instagram

Steve’s Remarkable Retail podcast

Natalie’s radio interview on Amazon’s 30th anniversary

NBK Retail

What happens in the digital afterlife? Do you even need to be alive to be a consumer? Should retailers and brands be thinking about a post-death strategy?

VML’s Naji El-Arifi and Hugh Fletcher join Natalie on the podcast to discuss all of this and more:

• Digital avatars and virtual goods – what are the opportunities for brands?
• Why retailers need to be paying more attention to gaming.
• The evolution of AI and delegation of purchasing tasks.
• Grocery e-commerce – addressing perennial challenges with AI.
• Digital immortality – just how ethical is this?

Links:

VML Future Shopper Report

OpenAI/Instacart news mentioned by Naji 

Connect with Naji on LinkedIn

Connect with Hugh on LinkedIn

Bios:

Naji El-Arifi:
As the Head of Innovation at VML Enterprise Solutions, Naji spearheads transformative solutions for businesses navigating the digital landscape. With a robust background in Product Management and Innovation, he has collaborated with an impressive array of companies and start-ups, including DFS, Lego, Domestic & General, Sainsbury’s, Shop Direct Group, Audi, Lloyds Bank, Kobalt, and BP. Naji consistently demonstrates how cutting-edge technology can address and overcome industry challenges.
 
Hugh Fletcher:
Hugh is an internationally sought after digital commerce futurologist, heading up the Demand Content Thought Leadership team at VML. As an ex-Audi digital guru, Hugh uses his client-side experience and unique take on the future of commerce to help organisations set up for, and implement, digital change in the constantly evolving commerce market. His work focuses on helping ambitious Clients to transact more digitally through strategic consultancy, covering digital business transformation, the future of ecommerce and conversion. He is a go-to spokesperson in press and TV for tech trends impacting ecommerce, and author of reports, white papers and articles covering future shoppers, Generation Alpha, Digital Commerce Leaders, space commerce and peak selling.

Matt Hopkins, Founder of IND!E, joins Natalie to discuss the evolution of pop-up shops, the role of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) brands in driving innovation, and the significance of storytelling in retail.

Matt shares his views on changing consumer expectations such as the heightened demand for authenticity and ethical shopping. They also delve into the trend of digitally native brands moving into physical spaces and highlight some of the challenges faced by SME challenger brands in a competitive market.

Matt’s bio:

Matt Hopkins is a seasoned business leader with over 25 years of experience in successfully selling products to major retailers. He excels in identifying growth opportunities, crafting robust commercial strategies, and driving impactful sales and marketing initiatives.
 
A visionary entrepreneur and creative thinker, Matt has a proven track record of developing and scaling diverse business models. His expertise in licensed branding has led to collaborations with renowned brands such as Jamie Oliver, Laura Ashley, The Great British Bake Off, and Chef Tom Kerridge.
 
Throughout his extensive career in retail, Matt recognised a significant shift in consumer trends toward locally made products with compelling stories. This insight inspired him to establish IND!E, a fresh and dynamic force driving change in the retail industry. Under Matt’s leadership, IND!E has become a market leader, supporting both major retailers and the SME challenger brand community. The company operates hundreds of pop-up shops in major retail locations each year and has pioneered a unique shop-in-shop concept, offering a crucial stepping stone for SME brands. Additionally, IND!E provides a comprehensive learning and resource hub and is set to launch its own e-commerce platform this year, further solidifying its role as an innovator in the retail landscape.

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn.

Visit IND!E.

James Keyes, Former 7-Eleven and Blockbuster CEO and author of EDUCATION IS FREEDOM: The Future Is in Your Hands, joins Natalie on the podcast to discuss:

• Change equals opportunity – lessons from Jim’s career and how to avoid being disrupted during periods of turbulence.
• Dispelling the myths behind Blockbuster’s demise – why fear, not Netflix, killed Blockbuster.
• Why Jim believes we might see a revival of the Blockbuster brand.
• Diversification – with Netflix opening restaurants, TikTok opening shops and Amazon opening hair salons, just how far could and should brands veer from their core?
• How technology can empower staff and elevate the customer experience.
• Lessons from Jim’s new book – understanding the importance of collaboration, cultural literacy, continual evolution and character.

Jim’s bio:

James Keyes is the former CEO of two internationally recognized Fortune 500 companies - 7-Eleven and Blockbuster. Jim is a global business leader, a philanthropist, educator, artist, musician, commercial pilot, and modern renaissance man. 

His other business interests cover a broad range of industries from retail, consumer products, technology, healthcare, cyber security, new space, energy, and advanced nuclear. He sits on several public company boards and serves as a board adviser to a venture capital firm and a number of start-up companies.

Keyes’s philanthropic initiatives have an equally broad focus, including serving a three-term seat on the Board of Governors for the American Red Cross, acting as the former Chairman of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and serving on the board of directors for institutions such as UT Southwestern Medical School, Cooper Institute, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Dallas Performing Arts Center, SMU Cox School of Business, Columbia Business School, and his alma mater, College of the Holy Cross. He has had a lifelong commitment to education, serving as a founding director of the Dallas Education Foundation and is the founder of the Education Is Freedom Foundation. Keyes is a personification of the American Dream, as he comes from humble beginnings. He was inducted in 2005 as a Member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.

More on Jim’s new book, EDUCATION IS FREEDOM: The Future Is in Your Hands:

Growing up in poverty in a small town in central Massachusetts, James Keyes seemed destined for a difficult life—one working at the local factory alongside his father and struggling to get by. Instead, he went on to become the CEO of 7-Eleven, where he increased shareholder value by tenfold during his tenure, and then CEO of Blockbuster, where he secured opportunities for the company even as the world wholeheartedly embraced streaming. How did he defy the odds?
In EDUCATION IS FREEDOM: The Future Is in Your Hands (Savio Republic; February 27th, 2024) with a foreword by Stedman Graham, Keyes shows how lifelong education and education access shaped his life and why they need to play a much larger role in in the public consciousness: because they empower us with the mindset to overcome adversity while preserving our democracy.

Order Jim’s book on Amazon UK or Amazon US.

Follow Jim on LinkedIn

It's International Women's Day this week and who better to speak to than the iconic and wonderfully inspirational fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes?

This conversation was recorded live on stage at Springfair in February 2024. Dame Zandra tells Natalie about:

- The highs and lows of breaking into the US fashion scene in the 1960s.

- How she has spent her life rallying against what was expected of her – both as a designer and a female.

- How her personal image has led to the success of her brand and more recent collaborations with IKEA, Happy Socks and Poppy Lissiman.

- What it was like to dress Freddie Mercury and which cultural icon she’d love to work with today.

- Her rainbow penthouse and pandemic pivots.

- Fashion retail trends – from the rise of digital to the need for circularity. 

- What’s next for Dame Zandra?

Dame Zandra’s bio:

Known for her fabulously bold prints, the iconic British designer, Dame Zandra Rhodes, launched her eponymous fashion brand 56 years ago.

Nicknamed ‘The Princess of Punk’, Rhodes burst onto the fashion scene in the late 1960s and continues to work from her studio in London. Rhodes began as a printed textile designer and is renowned for perfecting the art-of-print as an intrinsic influence on garment shape. With dramatic designs and her own distinctive look, Rhodes paved the way for fashion as theatre and entertainment. Her illustrious career has seen her dress international stars including Freddie Mercury, Diana Ross and Barbara Streisand, and British Royalty, most notably, Princess Diana and Princess Anne.

Originally marked as creating designs that were ‘too extreme’, in the early 70s Rhodes left England to try and break the American market. Within a few weeks of arriving in New York she met Diana Vreeland who debuted Rhodes’ ‘Knitted Circle’ collection on Natalie Wood in American Vogue. The rest is history…

A pioneer of the British and international fashion scene since the late 60s, Rhodes’ career has seen her produce over five decades of fashion collections and more recently focus on strategic collaborations with fashion and lifestyle brands such as IKEA of Sweden, Happy Socks and Poppy Lissiman. In 2003, she founded London’s Fashion and Textile Museum, which to this day showcases some of the best in fashion and textile design.

More recently, in 2020, she formed the Zandra Rhodes Foundation, a charity that ensures future generations of designers, artists, researchers, students and educators are able to study her life and designs, with an emphasis on her methods and techniques. Dating from the mid 1960s to the current day, the Foundation is working to catalogue her six thousand garments, printed textiles, drawings, accessories, fashion films, kodatraces, silk screens, press cuttings, personal memorabilia and collected artworks. A central collection will stay with the Foundation and the remaining material will be donated to permanent collections of major museums across the world, including the Fashion and Textile Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

For more, visit: https://zandrarhodes.com/ 

Did you know that over 80% of the U.S. population lives within a 10-mile radius of a Goodwill store or location?

Live from the NRF Big Show in NYC, Natalie speaks to the CEO of Goodwill, Steve Preston. He discusses the organization's strategic priorities, why the perception of thrifting is evolving, and the impact of digital. Steve also shares his views on what’s driving the surge in the resale market today and how Goodwill’s proximity to the customer allows for deeper community engagement.

Bio:

Steven C. Preston is the president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International, which provides services to 154 local, independent Goodwill organizations which together represent the leading provider of workforce training and development. In 2022, Goodwill served more than 2.1 million people which range from lighter touch services to extensive training, career navigation and job placement support.

Preston has served in numerous operational and financial leadership positions in both the public and private sectors. He headed two federal agencies during times of national crisis, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Small Business Administration (SBA); led successful turnarounds as the CEO of two private corporations, Oakleaf Global Holdings and Livingston International; and served as the CFO of two Fortune 500 companies during times of significant change and restructuring, Waste Management and ServiceMaster.

Preston served as HUD Secretary during the housing crisis of 2008, representing the federal agency on the board of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). During his tenure, HUD dramatically increased Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae capacity to meet exponentially rising demand. Under his leadership, the agency also expanded its ability to assist victims of natural disasters, advanced the rebuilding of mixed-income neighborhoods in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, and improved financial literacy programs.

From 2006–2008, Preston served as Administrator for the SBA. In addition to multiple small business services, the SBA provides disaster loans to homeowners and businesses. Following Hurricane Katrina, Preston spearheaded a reform agenda to expedite financial support to disaster victims and make the agency more responsive to customers, accountable for results, and efficient in the delivery of services. During his tenure, the SBA launched and advanced programs to expand entrepreneurship opportunities for veterans and military families, for people located in areas with high rates of poverty and unemployment, and for people who were facing various life challenges. 

In his private-sector roles, Preston gained significant experience expanding into new product and geographic markets, leveraging technology for both client and efficiency benefits, improving employee engagement and restructuring operations.
Preston graduated with highest distinction from Northwestern University and holds an MBA from The University of Chicago. He has served on numerous boards or in other capacities for organizations supporting the needs of people with disadvantages, especially in urban centers. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the
Partnership for Public Service and the Board of Trustees of Wheaton College.
He and his wife, Molly, live near Washington DC and have five children — Anna, Madeleine, Gibson, Eleanor, and Steven Jr.

Love it or loathe it, Black Friday has become a permanent fixture on the UK retail calendar. In this episode, Natalie shares her predictions and general observations around Black Friday 2023. You'll learn:

• Why Natalie is expecting a strong turnout this year.
• Black Friday creep - why retailers like John Lewis are going earlier than ever before.
• Whether the growing skepticism around Black Friday will impact shoppers' willingness to participate.
• Why blanket discounts are out and targeted promotions are in.
• What the ONS and BRC data tells us about Black Friday 2023.

We often think of Amazon as one of those invincible brands. A bulletproof business. A business that has transformed the retail sector thanks to a relentless dissatisfaction with the status quo.

But like a lot of tech companies they thrived during the pandemic and now they’re finding life difficult.

Why?

1) General volatility. Like all retailers, Amazon is grappling with unprecedented cost inflation at a time when consumer demand remains sluggish. That’s a dangerous combo for any business but in Amazon’s case it’s exacerbated by the fact that during the pandemic they over-hired and over-expanded to help cope with the huge surge in demand for online shopping and cloud computing.

2) Recalibration: return to IRL shopping. We’ve now had a year of relative normality. The world is far more hybrid than we could have ever imagined pre-2020 but the pandemic has taught us the value of stores in this digital era. Shoppers are abandoning e-commerce and returning to bricks & mortar. They’re looking for value over convenience and delaying those discretionary buys. The pandemic has reaffirmed that the future of retail is NOT e-commerce – it’s a blended mix of physical and digital commerce.

 As a result, Amazon is looking unusually vulnerable. I believe that sometime within the next decade, Amazon will go from being the disruptor to the disrupted. Listen to the podcast to hear why.

For more, visit www.nbkretail.com

Murvah Iqbal, co-CEO and co-founder of HIVED, is on a mission to revolutionise the delivery industry. Founded in 2021, the all-electric delivery start-up has already distributed millions of parcels across London for major brands including ASOS, Uniqlo, Nespresso and Zara, and is backed by investors like Maersk Growth, Pale Blue Dot and Planet A Ventures.

In this episode, Murvah shares her entrepreneurial journey, which began when she took over marketing and branding for her uncles’ fast-food chain at just 15 years old. She discusses the importance of decarbonisation in retail and how HIVED’s “sustainability-as-standard” approach differentiates them from competitors.

Murvah also shares her views on the evolving expectations of consumers, particularly Gen Z, when it comes to delivery, how to address some of the legacy challenges of the final mile, and what regulatory changes she’d like to see to support the growth of green delivery. Murvah and Natalie also discuss the need for collaboration within the industry and the role of technology in improving delivery efficiency. 

Connect with Murvah on LinkedIn.

Live from the NRF Big Show, Co-op’s director of technology Ian Cox joins Natalie to discuss:

• NRF highlights and practical use cases for AI in food retail.
• How Co-op enacted digital transformation to innovate faster, scale resources, and stay agile in a rapidly changing market.
• The importance of service availability as a convenience retailer: delivering transformation projects with minimal impact on the customer.
• The relevance of quick commerce for convenience retailers.

Ian’s Bio: 

Ian Cox is the director of technology for Co-op UK, where he oversees SAP services, roadmap and footprint across the entire business. He’s also responsible for all Colleague Digital Technology products and platforms used in our Co-op businesses and support center, including Stores, Distribution, Legal Services and Funeral-care.

Connect with Ian on LinkedIn.

Collins Dictionary has announced that ‘AI’ is the Word of the Year for 2023. Miya Knights, Retail Consultant and Publisher of Retail Technology Magazine, joins Natalie to discuss the wide-ranging implications of artificial intelligence. They break down the learnings from last week’s first ever AI Safety Summit, held at Bletchley Park, exploring both short-term and longer-term risks posed by the technology.

They then move into a conversation about AI's impact impact on the retail sector and how it will transform the way we shop, exploring the many opportunities for retailers  - from driving back-end efficiencies to utilising AI-powered shopping assistants to deliver more tailored customer experiences.

Connect with Miya on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Brian Librach, former VP of Stores at Urban Outfitters, Pacific Sunwear and Old Navy, joins Natalie to discuss his new book: The Retail Leader’s Roadmap. They explore:

• Why retail leaders get stuck and how to rewrite your career outcome.
• The evolution of bricks & mortar retail – what is the future of stores and how should we be measuring success?
• Which brands does Brian admire and what are they getting right?
• How can retailers ensure their staff are motivated and engaged?
• Cultural shifts: digital transformation journeys and the importance of taking your people with you.
• Upskilling and investing in digital competencies.
• Squiggly careers: why the path to success isn’t always linear.
• Natalie and Brian debate the key traits of winning retailers. 

Brian’s bio: 

Launching his career at the young age of 21, Brian quickly established himself as a District Manager, rising to become a Regional Director by 25, a Director of Stores by 35, and the VP of Stores for Urban Outfitters at 38, running operations in the US and Canada. Since then, he also served as VP of Stores and Operations at Pacific Sunwear, as well as most recently running stores internationally in Canada for Old Navy.

Links:

Brian’s book on Amazon UK

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn

Retail Leader’s Roadmap

Register for Natalie's live webinar with Rethink Retail and Diebold Nixdorf on May 28, 2024

Learn more about Natalie's services: NBK Retail

Supermarket loyalty schemes are having a revival but is customer loyalty dead? In this epsiode, Natalie explores how the need to offer customers immediate value and the opportunity for personalised promotions has seen grocers rewrite the rules of these schemes.

Natalie also gives her views on the May retail figures from the BDO - why didn't a Coronation and sunshine stimulate spending? Footfall was up but it didn't translate into retail sales growth. Is this because consumers parted with their cash in the pub rather than the poundshop? Or is the ongoing squeeze on disposable incomes preventing shoppers from loosening their purse strings?

Register for the BRC digital tranformation event in London on 22/6.

Barclaycard consumer spending data showing growth in hospitalty and leisure.

Retail analyst and consultant Nick Bubb joins the show to discuss:

• Christmas trading results - winners and losers.
• Why electricals retailing is poised for a comeback in 2024.
• What JD Sports' and Burberry's profit warnings tell us about the state of retail.
• What went wrong at John Lewis and whether Peter Ruis can revive the brand.
• Frasers' stake-building strategy - what is the end game for Asos and Boohoo? 
• Supermarket switching and the importance of physical stores in food retail.

Links:

Connect with Nick on LinkedIn

KPMG/RetailNext Retail Think Tank

Stuart Trevor is the Founder of AllSaints and STUART TREVOR, his eponymous sustainable fashion brand that launched in 2023. He joins Natalie to talk about why he decided to launch a clothing brand that doesn’t produce any new clothes.

They discuss:

• What inspired Stuart's move into sustainable fashion.
• A founder’s vision and being clear on what makes your brand special: AllSaints was a success in part because “there was nothing else like it”.
• Why longevity, not price, is the key to unlocking value in apparel.
• Which high street brands are the biggest offenders when it comes to UK clothing waste?
• Demand coming from LA consumers after the wildfires.
• The importance of authenticity when launching a fashion brand.
• Why Stuart has a problem with M&S pants.

Bio:

Stuart Trevor started his career as a fashion design student in 1985, aged 19 won the Smirnoff Fashion Awards at the Royal Albert Hall and became the first ever designer and buyer for REISS. 

Aged 28, he founded AllSaints. Many of the clothes that feature each week in the top 10 bestseller list of the high street brand today were designed by Trevor over 20 years ago.

‘AllSaints was my baby, I created that look from scratch, all inspired by my teenage years. That best selling biker jacket started out as a vintage find, the ramskull was my first logo design, a cross between my love of animals, pirates and punk rock and it took over the world!’

‘Inspired by a childhood obsession with Bowie, Kate Bush & Adam Ant, customising hand me down clothes gifted from my mother’s church friends. I learned to sew at 9 years old in Dundee, my ambition from very early days was to create the world’s greatest rock n roll brand. I’m still on that mission and I’m determined to make it happen’ 

‘Now I want to create something that brings the same joy, even more pleasure to people whilst doing what’s right for our planet’

Trevor started customising vintage finds, then began creating small quantities of reworked outerwear in limited edition from a small factory in East London. 

‘People want to have more fun, rediscover the magic of fashion, buy clothes that will last, that have the smallest possible environmental impact. We make this possible.’

The first STUART TREVOR collection was shown at an exclusive launch party during London Fashion Week on 15 September 2023. It was a huge success with over 750 people from all across the world turning up, hanging out and sharing their favourite thoughts about sustainability, music, art, fashion, design and culture. 

We’re mentoring the youth of today with a similar passion for the future of fashion - we’re not going to change our love of fashion and design, we’re determined to change how we affect the planet by creating a better world.

It doesn’t get much more sustainable than this!

Links:

STUART TREVOR

Retail Technology Show

Have you been to Catford Mews or Peckham Levels? Then you'll know what can be achieved by transforming disused car parks and empty retail units into vibrant, community-led, cultural hubs.

Preston Benson, founder of Really Local Group and fellow American in London, joins Natalie on the podcast to discuss:

• How Really Local Group is creating and restoring cultural infrastructure by regenerating disused high street locations.  
• Homogenous high streets - how to inject character and make our high streets relevant for 21st century shopping.
• Funflation - the Taylor Swift Effect and how cinemas will evolve in the future.
• Hyper-localism, community and the importance of financial inclusivity.
• Why Amazon has partnered with Odeon and what this means for smaller, community-led cinemas. 

Catford Mews was RLG’s first site and they’ve since expanded into a number of locations like Ealing, Peckham, Reading and Sidcup with more venues planned throughout 2024 and beyond.

Connect with Preston on LinkedIn.

The retail sector is no stranger to disruption. Technology continues to disrupt all aspects of shopping - from on-demand groceries that turn up in 15 minutes to in-store experiences becoming more seamless, connected, and relevant.
 
Today, shoppers are hyper-informed, digitally-enabled and hungry for shopping experiences that reflect their 21st century needs. 

Hosted by Retail Analyst and Author Natalie Berg, Retail Disrupted will help you stay on the of the latest industry developments, trends and innovations from the UK and around the globe. Each week, we’ll get under the hood of retail, covering topics such as:

• The convergence of physical and digital commerce
• How tech can enhance the customer experience
• Reinventing bricks & mortar retail
• The future of e-commerce
• Macroeconomic and sociodemographic shifts
• Shopper loyalty

For more, visit www.nbkretail.com

Paul Wilkinson, Product Director at Deliveroo and former Tesco and Amazon exec, joins Natalie to discuss:

•    Quick commerce: what went wrong and how will it evolve?
•    Why Deliveroo won’t chase 15-minute delivery.
•    Learnings from the restaurant sector.
•    Why retail partners are more open to collaboration in 2024. 
•    Deliveroo’s move into non-food: “bringing the whole high street to the customer”.
•    Voice commerce: why hasn’t it taken off and is there a place for it in the future?
•    Frictionless checkout: are checkout-free stores the future or are there too many barriers to making it viable?

Connect with Paul on X and LinkedIn.

Learn more about Deliveroo.

This conversation was recorded in February 2024.

It's Amazon Prime Day and the bargains are flying - but will shoppers bite? What's new this year and how has the competition responded? In this episode, Natalie also shares her views on Amazon's latest personalisation efforts. Amazon may be the Everything Store, but it's not exactly the Inspirational Store. How might personalised deals feeds, liveshopping and Prime Day experiences help Amazon to shift its utilitarian image?  

Live from Barcelona, Green Retail World’s Editor Ben Sillitoe joins Natalie on the podcast to share what they learned at Manhattan Exchange this week. They explore how generative AI chatbots are going to revolutionize customer service, why the days of frontline staff being told to “sell, not think” are over and what sustainability looks like for retailers in 2025.

If you missed the episode with Manhattan Associates’ Pieter Van den Broecke, you can catch up here.

Links:

Manhattan Associates
Green Retail World

This week, Natalie is answering the questions rather than asking them!

She speaks to Rishad Tobaccowala who is the former Global Strategy and Growth Officer at Publicis Groupe and host of the What Next? podcast. 

They explore:

• Natalie’s move to the UK nearly two decades ago.
• How the need for flexibility led her to set up her own business as an independent retail analyst. 
• The rise of the digital store.
• How online shopping will evolve in the future.
• What it takes to succeed in the current retail climate.

A big thank you to Rishad and his team for inviting Natalie on the podcast and permission to share their discussion on Retail Disrupted.

You can listen to the original episode and subscribe to What’s Next? with Rishad Tobaccowala here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/podcastwhatnext/episodes/Disrupt-or-Be-Disrupted-The-Future-of-Retail-e2m7vrk/a-abemdkg 

More about Natalie: www.nbkretail.com 

In this bumper episode of Retail Disrupted, retail consultant and high street champion Graham Soult joins Natalie to discuss Wilko’s return to the high street, Asos/Next results and the opportunities and challenges facing high streets in this digital era.

• 5m: Business rates
• 10m: Store closures
• 14m: Wilko’s demise and rebirth: what went wrong and how will the new Wilko stores be different?
• 21m: Back from the brink: how to revive defunct brands
• 28m: Mixed fashion fortunes: Is Asos still relevant and what’s the secret to Next’s resilience?
• 37m: New Channel 5 Lidl documentary
• 40m: Future of the high street

Links:

Learn more about Graham’s consultancy work: Canny Insights

Connect with Graham on LinkedIn and Twitter

Watch Graham on the Channel 5 Lidl documentary

Marc Vicente, Group Digital Director at Kingfisher, joins Natalie for a comprehensive discussion around e-commerce, AI, marketplaces, retail media, and more.

They explore:

• Why omnichannel retailers are now embracing the marketplace model
• The role of physical stores in e-commerce
• Innovative partnerships: Deliveroo and the importance of speed
• The significance of Black Friday for Kingfisher and why it starts earlier every year
• Retail media: monetizing the marketplace and understanding the 3 stages of retail media implementation
• From chatbots to personalized recommendations and visual search, how is Kingfisher enhancing the customer experience with AI?
• The future of retail: what is Marc most excited about for 2025 and beyond?

Marc’s bio:

Marc leads the digital transformation and oversees the strategy and operations at one of the largest home improvement retailers in Europe – which has 82,000 colleagues across 2,000 stores in eight European countries, and a number of retail banners including B&Q, Screwfix and Castorama. Before Kingfisher, Marc spent 15 years delivering disruptive technology-based growth in senior international roles such as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Officer at Rakuten Europe and Chief Operating Officer at Cdiscount.com, the French e-commerce leader.

Connect with Marc on LinkedIn. 

George Nott, Technology Editor at The Grocer, joins Natalie to discuss the evolution of quick commerce. They examine the latest Uber Eats/Getir collaboration, how traditional supermarkets are responding to the quick commerce trend and whether the world is ready for AI-powered conversational shopping experiences.

Fun Fact: Did you know 'getir' means 'bring' in Turkish?

Connect with George:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Boris Planer, Founder and Managing Director of Future Consulting, joins Natalie to discuss the news that Amazon is terminating its online grocery service in Germany. 

They discuss:

• What went wrong for Amazon Fresh in Germany, what does this tell us about Amazon's global grocery strategy, and where next? (It’s all about the partnerships.)
• Inherent challenges of grocery retailing in Germany. Did you know that 98% of German consumers live within 10 minutes of a discounter?!
• The Amazon Effect - how competitors have raised their e-commerce game.
• Implications for Amazon Fresh internationally. The news follows a similar move in the UK earlier this year when Amazon scrapped Fresh outside of London and Manchester.
• Why you need to know more about Rohlik, the Czech grocery delivery start-up that has just announced a partnership with Amazon and is aiming to launch in 10 European cities over the next 6 years. 

The news was first reported by The Information.

Bio:

Boris Planer is a retail thought leader, speaker and consultant based in Frankfurt, Germany. He is the founder and managing director of Future Consulting, a consultancy supporting international retailers, suppliers and tech businesses in their efforts to spot trends early on and take new market opportunities effectively. Boris has 25 years of experience in retail insight and consultancy, including at retail insight group Planet Retail/Edge by Ascential and WGSN, the world’s leading consumer trend forecasters. He is also a speaker at Zukunftsinstitut, the Institute for the Future based in Frankfurt and Vienna. 

Connect with Boris on LinkedIn.

Martin George, former Customer Director at Waitrose, and Jessica Cole, Senior Director Own Brand, Masterbrand, Customer Strategy & Propositions, at Asda join Natalie to discuss the evolving role of marketing in retail. They explore:

• Retail disruption – how has AI impacted retail marketing? How have legacy retailers responded to disruption? Which grocery innovations haven’t stuck?
• Customer centricity – how to embed this in the organization and learnings from other sectors.
• Understanding diverse customer needs and how some low-tech solutions (ie. spending time on the shop floor) can be among the most effective.
• What skills are required of retail marketeers today and how might this evolve in the future? 
• Is the CMO role still relevant in retail? Should they have a seat on the board?
• Tesco Clubcard’s 30th anniversary – what is the role of data in retail marketing today and how do you measure success?
• Do customers expect the same experience in an airport as a supermarket (ie. frictionless, self-service, personalization) or are needs more individualized? Martin shares his views from his time as Commercial Director at BA.

📺 You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

This episode was brought to you by the Richmond Retail & E-commerce Directors' Forum. Are you a retailer interested in attending? Email Natalie to secure your seat.

Bios:

Jessica Cole has spent the past 15 years working in the Retail industry and has held senior roles with Morrisons, Selfridges, Accenture Strategy, Monitor Deloitte and most recently Asda as Senior Director Own Brand, Masterbrand, Customer Strategy & Propositions. Jess specialises in setting and executing strategies, leading large scale transformations, building brands and driving profitable sales growth.

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn.

Martin George is the former Customer Director at Waitrose. He started his career at Cadburys and held a number of senior roles including Commercial Director at British Airways, Group Development Director at Bupa and most recently as Customer Director at Waitrose where he was responsible for Marketing and Customer Experience. He has previously held a number of Non-Executive Director roles as well as setting-up businesses in the hospitality, travel media and healthcare sectors. 

Martin is now a Non-Executive Director at Goodwood, Visit Jersey and Trust Alliance Group. He is also a School Governor and working with the Marketing Academy to increase diversity in the marketing profession.

Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.

Natalie speaks to TV dragon, retail magnate and small business champion Theo Paphitis live on stage at Springfair. They discuss:

• Digital transformation and the impact on retail
• Why stores are assets in today's digital era
• High street struggles - business rates, rents and levelling the playing field
• Failing fast in business
• What will retail look like in 2034?

Theo is the Chairman and Owner of Ryman, Robert Dyas, Boux Avenue and London Graphic Centre and founder of #SBS Small Business Sunday. Full bio:

Theo was born in Cyprus in 1959. His business empire spans retail, property, finance and consumer goods. Having left school at the age of 16 with no qualifications due to his dyslexia, he began work as a filing clerk in a Lloyds of London brokerage.

Having realised very quickly that filing was not his forte, he left and took up a job working for Watches of Switzerland where he discovered his passion for retail. After several years the opportunity arose for Theo to return to insurance, in a more customer facing role, where he gained invaluable experience in finance and property.

Returning to retail a few years later, he has revived the fortunes of notable high street names such as Ryman, Partners the Stationers, Stationery Box, La Senza, Contessa Lingerie and more recently the home and garden retailer Robert Dyas. Theo also bought Red Letter Days out of administration in 2005, with fellow TV Dragon Peter Jones, turning it around and selling in 2017. In the Spring of 2011 he also launched what has now become the multi award winning, global lingerie brand Boux Avenue.

In 2015, Theo launched Theo Paphitis Retail Group which encompasses Ryman Stationery, Robert Dyas, Boux Avenue and London Graphic Centre, acquired in 2016. The combined group comprises over 300 stores and 4,000 employees who serve millions of customers a year.

Theo’s other passion, sport, led him to having 8 marvellous years as Chairman of Millwall Football Club, achieving promotion to the Championship and the FA Cup Final against Manchester United as well as qualifying for Europe. Along with football, Theo closely follows many sports and was co-founder of sports marketing company Movie & Media Sports in the late nineties. In 2013, Theo returned to the sports industry following the investment he made into MB Partners, the boutique sports management agency, where he is now Chairman.

**Please note this interview was recorded in front of a live audience and we unfortunately experienced some AV glitches that were beyond our control. The format of this episode is therefore different to the norm but the overall impact should be minimal. We hope you enjoy it and please do consider leaving a rating on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.** 

In retail today, you need to have a laser-clear understanding of your brand and what it stands for.

But what if what you stand for is no longer culturally relevant? Can you shed your skin and completely reinvent yourself? Can you BUY your way out of cultural insignificance?

The lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret has tried to do exactly that and it hasn’t worked out so well. They're now ready to ditch their feminist makeover and re-embrace "sex appeal". On today’s podcast, we’re going to be exploring what went wrong at Victoria’s Secret, how they tried to fix it, and whether they can go back to their roots in a post-#MeToo world.

TLDL: Victoria Secret's newfound conscience and subsequent brand overhaul whiffed of inauthenticity. Too much, too soon... alienating both those in favour (who perhaps questioned the integrity of such a radical makeover) and those not.

Faire is the largest global b2b marketplace for independent retailers. In this episode, Faire’s UK General Manager Charlotte Broadbent joins Natalie to discuss:

• How Faire is disrupting the wholesale sector and benefits for SMEs
• Opportunities and challenges facing independent retailers today
• How indies can up their game with AI 
• Values-based shopping and why ‘Not on Amazon’ is Faire’s most popular filter
• Black Friday - should indies take part or is it a race to the bottom?
• Women in tech – breaking down barriers and advice for the next generation of female leaders 

Charlotte’s bio:

Charlotte joined the Faire team as UK General Manager in 2022, at an exciting and unique time when the US-founded b2b marketplace was pivoting to focus on international expansion. During her time at Faire she has led major category expansion, go-to-market strategy and partnership projects.
 
Prior to this, she served as the COO of an international fine jewellery brand and retailer, Tamara Comolli. Here, she worked closely with the founder to solve the daily challenges in business, running a retail business through a pandemic and the wholesale aspects to retail. 
 
Charlotte started her career in private equity at Terra Firma Capital partners where she assessed and delivered new investments but also grew the value of those businesses through operational levers, focused on the retail and consumer sectors. It was during this time that Charlotte came to the realisation that she wanted to roll up her sleeves to be more involved in the operational side of leading a business, particularly through digital transformation. This passion led to her role at Faire today.

Connect with Charlotte on LinkedIn.

The Black Friday deals started as early as Halloween here in the UK (yes, really – see Boots, John Lewis, Currys) and mainland Europe isn’t far behind. On today's episode, Natalie speaks to Sander Roose, CEO and Founder of Omnia Retail, the Amsterdam-based company behind Europe’s first dynamic pricing software.

Sander and Natalie explore Black Friday 2024 trends in great depth as well as the Ticketmaster/Oasis disaster and why it’s important to distinguish between dynamic and surge pricing, and finally what retailers need to do to optimize their pricing strategies.

More on Sander:

Sander Roose is a seasoned retail expert and entrepreneur with a wealth of experience in retail and e-commerce. He holds a MSc degree in Industrial Engineering & Management Science from the Eindhoven University of Technology, where he graduated cum laude. After starting his career at Procter & Gamble, Sander became an entrepreneur: Harvest (acquired by OLX, part of Naspers), Commerce Squared (e-com strategy consultant) and now Omnia Retail.

Visit Omnia Retail

Connect with Sander on LinkedIn.

"We hate Amazon. They'll bully us and do horrible things to us. They'll use us, we don't want anything to do with them." - Iceland Managing Director, 2018

Fast forward five years…

This morning Amazon UK announced that frozen food specialist Iceland will begin selling groceries on its platform. In this episode, Natalie explores the rationale behind Iceland’s shift in strategy and why Amazon is expanding its relationship with third party supermarkets like Morrisons, Co-op and now Iceland.

Amazon may need the grocery industry but does the grocery industry need Amazon? Let’s explore.

Links:

- Amazon press release:  https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/news/retail/amazon-fresh-store-liverpoolstreet-iceland-partnership

- Recent Grocery Gazette article featuring Natalie’s thoughts on Amazon’s UK grocery strategy:

https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2023/07/26/amazon-fresh/

- Natalie and Miya’s book (yes it’s on Amazon): https://amzn.eu/d/9RfiDnD 

David Blakeney, former Store Development Director at House of Fraser and Sook, joins Natalie to discuss:

-    Why physical retail is on the cusp of a new dawn.
-    Repurposing physical space in a digital era.
-    Innovation in department stores - are retailers doing enough?
-    Pop-up retail – which verticals are best suited (you’ll be surprised) and lessons from Sook.
-    David’s newest venture: Phygital Retail.

David’s bio:

David is a highly experienced operator within the retail sector with + 35 years’ experience having worked for companies such as Allders Duty Free, Arcadia and House Of Fraser where he was Store Development Director overseeing all Space Planning, Design & Build projects working with over 250 major brands. 

He was recently Business and Store Development Director at Sook Retail in charge of helping to develop the brand and is an innovator in the pop-up shop industry. 

He has won several retail industry awards, been a speaker at retail conferences, a judge on several retail awards panels and was on the Retail Trust Ball Committee. He currently sits on the Twenty Club Committee as an honorary officer, and co-founded and ran the hugely successful House of Fraser Charity Event.

Connect with David on LinkedIn.

Read Natalie's comments on pop-up shops on the BBC.

One of the most hotly anticipated store openings – or should we say REopenings – is happening this week. US-based beauty retailer Sephora re-entered the UK market last fall when it spent a whopping £132 million to acquire online beauty retailer feelunique. After an 18-year hiatus, Sephora is back in Blighty, and this week it opens its first store in Westfield in White City, West London.

In this episode of Retail Disrupted, we explore the return of the beauty retailer – what it means for the incumbents and how technology will play a critical role in the physical shopping experience.

But Sephora isn’t the only retailer expanding its bricks & mortar footprint this year - Aldi recently announced plans to open around 40 new stores across the UK this year. Are the discounters enjoying their time in the sun or is this perhaps a more permanent shift in grocery habits?

Boris Planer, Head of Consumer and Market Insight at the trend forecasters WGSN, joins Natalie Berg to discuss the state of German retail and in particular why department store chain Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof is closing nearly half of its stores.

Natalie also breaks down Inditex’s annual results, exploring topics such as:

• Self-checkouts in non-food retail. Inditex's plans to eliminate hard tags on its clothes is expected to speed up the checkout process by up to 50%. Will it work? Who else is looking to cut friction at the checkout and how? Will we see more general merchandise retailers invest in solutions like self-checkout, scan & go, and equipping staff with mobile POS devices?
• The importance of human touch in digital stores.
• Innovative features of the Battersea Power Station Zara store, opened late 2022, including two-hour click & collect, an automated online returns point and RFID-enabled fitting rooms.

For more:

Boris Planer on LinkedIn

WGSN

NBK Retail

French retailing giant Carrefour has become the first grocery retailer to integrate ChatGPT into its e-commerce website. Its new AI-powered chatbot Hopla will help online shoppers make decisions based on their budgets or dietary constraints. In this episode, Natalie explores the potential for this technology to inject more inspiration into the online grocery experience. Food shopping is habitual and most shoppers are sleepwalking when ordering groceries online. Can AI solve that problem by providing a deeply customisable service for the shopper?

Natalie discusses the launch of Amazon Haul, the retailer’s new Temu-like storefront where most items are under $10 and delivery takes up to two weeks. She also unpacks the reasons behind Vinted’s success – what consumer needs is it tapping into and what are the implications for the wider retail sector? And, finally, Natalie shares her thoughts on the explosion of advent calendars. What is driving the trend and what can retailers learn from it?

[4:20] Is Amazon terminating its online grocery service in Germany?

[6:08] Amazon Haul launch

[9:00] Vinted and the rise of pre-loved 

[15:10] Advent calendars - history and why retailers of all varieties are jumping on the advent calendar bandwagon

Links:

Episode 45: Amazon Must Disrupt Itself, July 2024. Natalie and Miya explore whether Amazon and Temu can co-exist and thoughts on the (then) rumoured plans to launch an ultra-low price storefront.

BBC: Are luxury beauty advent calendars a rip-off?

Marketplace: Luxury Advent calendars now in season

Live from Barcelona, Pieter Van den Broecke, EMEA Leader, Supply Chain Commerce Strategies at Manhattan Associates joins Natalie to discuss:

• Europe's retail CIOs - what's keeping them up at night?
• Generative AI – what are the opportunities and challenges?
• Customer experience - how to service your customers in real-time and learning to trust AI to be the first port of call.
• Why giving shoppers greater control post-purchase is a win for retailers, customers and the planet.
• Unified commerce – what does this look like in practice and where are the opportunities going forward?
• Why Pieter believes the digitization of physical retail isn’t over.

More on Manhattan Exchange.

Paul Martin, KPMG's Global Head of Retail, joins Natalie for a wide-ranging discussion on:

• Bifurcation of retail winners and losers
• Why consumers will be battening down the hatches in H1
• Breaking down the BRC-KPMG December sales data
• Promotions, margins, and the importance of stock visibility
• Economic outlook and impact of attacks on container ships in the Red Sea
• Opportunities for retailers in 2024 and beyond

Links:

Connect with Paul on LinkedIn

Paul's perspective on the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor (Dec '23)

KPMG / Retail Next Retail Think Tank

Natalie's TV interview - expectations ahead of Tesco and M&S results, BBC World Business Report

BBC: Can pop-up shops help to regenerate our High Streets?

In this week’s episode, Natalie shares the highlights from her recent interview with Simon Arora, former CEO of B&M, and delves into Bill Gates’ prediction that AI will lead to the demise of Amazon. “You will never go to a search site again, you will never go to a productivity site, you’ll never go to Amazon again,” Gates said at an event in San Francisco earlier this week. How will the development of an AI personal assistant alter our habits in the future? How might it transform the way we interact and shop online? And who else is predicting Amazon’s demise…?

If you're enjoying the content, please subscribe, share or leave a rating/review.

For more, visit www.nbkretail.com

Rich Honiball is the EVP and Global Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer for NEXCOM (Navy Exchange Service Command). He joins Natalie on the podcast to discuss:

• The unique role of military retail, the importance of having a clear mission, and other lessons for traditional retailers.
• Learnings from the launch of the world’s first Toys R Us department on a military base.
• Self-checkouts, frictionless experiences, and the importance of customer choice.
• The power of community and how Gen Z shoppers are redefining store experiences.
• Why retail was an “accidental career” for Rich and how he hopes to encourage the next generation of retail leaders in his role as adjunct instructor at George Mason University. 

What is NEXCOM?

Since its inception in 1946, NEXCOM’s mission has been to provide customers with quality goods and services at a savings and to support Navy quality of life programs.

NEXCOM’s six primary business lines include the Navy Exchange (NEX), NEXCOM Hospitality Group, Ships Store Program, Uniform Program Management Office, Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility and the Telecommunications Program Office. Each of its business lines provide the necessary support for the Navy’s warfighters and military families to remain ready and resilient.

Bio:

Rich Honiball combines executive leadership, strategic development, and consumer insights as EVP, Global Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer for NEXCOM, overseeing merchandising and marketing efforts for a $2+ billion global enterprise offering retail, services, food & hospitality. Before NEXCOM, Rich founded PDB Advisory Group & the Brand(Co)Lab, advising CEOs on purpose-driven marketing strategies and brand development. His executive roles at Haggar and JCPenney involved building world-class teams, strategic development, brand growth, and corporate refresh initiatives. He shares his extensive retail and consumer behavior expertise as an adjunct instructor at George Mason University. Rich is an MBA graduate from William & Mary and a BS in Marketing from SNHU. Rich is dedicated to mentoring and has served on several educational and nonprofit boards. Rich is honored for his retail expertise by Rethink Retail, innovative marketing by the CMO Club, and as an ONCON ICON Top 100 Marketer, and he continues to influence the industry while traveling the world.

Links:

Connect with Rich on LinkedIn

Listen to Rich's Retail Relates podcast

Jeremy Schwartz was the turnaround CEO of Pandora, the world’s largest jewellery company with 2,500 stores and e-commerce sites in 90 countries. Prior to that, Jeremy was Chairman and CEO of The Body Shop from 2013 to 2017. He also previously spent time at Sainsbury’s and, as Brand Director, he was the architect of the grocer’s turnaround in 2005 which saw a decade of growth after years in decline. He is the former Managing Director of L’Oréal UK and, as Innovation Director for Coca-Cola Europe, he invented Coke Zero. Jeremy is currently the Chairman of Kantar’s Sustainability Transformation Practice

In this episode, recorded live on stage at the Richmond Retail and E-commerce Directors’ Forum, Jeremy and Natalie discuss:

• Why some retail businesses fail and how to avoid becoming a statistic.
• How to embark on a successful turnaround strategy.
• The importance of perpetual innovation and how Jeremy uncovered an opportunity to create the Coke Zero brand.
• ESG – addressing the intention-action gap and FMCG best practices. 
• Customer loyalty and doubling down on your top 20% of customers.

The video version of this episode is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBVMRe4GCOY

Natalie speaks to Nigel Oddy, currently CEO of the UK and Europe’s leading golf retailer American Golf, and previously CEO of House of Fraser, New Look, Matalan and The Range.

The video version of this episode is available on YouTube and is part of a special collaboration with the Richmond Retail & E-commerce Directors' Forum. Nigel will be speaking at the event alongside leaders from across the industry - Tesco, Charlotte Tilbury, TikTok, N Brown and more. 

In this episode, Nigel gives us a sneak preview of what we'll be discussing at the event. He shares what it was like running New Look during the pandemic, his biggest successes, what motivates him, the importance of spending time on the shop floor and why you must treat your shoppers as VIPs.

More on Nigel:

Nigel’s journey began on the shop floor of M&S and through hard work, determination, and a desire to succeed progressed from shop assistant to executive.

Leading by example to inspire people towards engaging in strategy, strong critical thinking, and excellent interpersonal skills. His keys to success: integrity, honesty, hardworking, strong work ethic and loyalty.

American Golf is the ultimate one stop destination for delivering 5 star products, services, and omnichannel experiences.

More on Retail Disrupted:

If you missed my previous conversations with some of our Richmond speakers, you can catch up on YouTube (also available on Apple/Spotify):

The Future of Retail with Chris Browne (former Global Retail Director at Ted Baker)

N Brown Retail CEO Sarah Welsh on Women in Retail

If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to leave a quick rating and subscribe to the show.

For more, visit www.nbkretail.com

Jane Mustoe, Senior Technology Director at Tesco, joins Natalie to discuss how Tesco is using tech to redefine both customer and colleague experiences. They explore:

• Tesco's recent innovations – GetGo and frictionless shopping, gen AI chatbots, digital twins, mobile apps for store associates, and more.
• All about the margins – the importance of achieving marginal gains in a low-margin industry.
• Always keeping an eye on future innovations and finding pockets of “reality” amongst the “hype”.
• Why over half of innovations fail, why that's important, and lessons from Tesco’s drone trial.
• Why getting the culture right is ‘make or break’ for organisations and the need to balance agility with operational efficiencies.
• DEI and advice for the next generation of female tech leaders.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Centric Software.

Centric Software provides an innovative and AI-enabled product concept-to-replenishment platform for retailers, brands and manufacturers of all sizes. As experts in fashion, luxury, footwear, outdoor, home and related goods like cosmetics, food & beverage and multi-category retail, Centric Software delivers best-of-breed solutions that optimize planning, pricing, design, product development, sourcing and production. 

📣 Register for Centric Connect 2025.

Connect with Jane on LinkedIn.

For more, visit Retail Disrupted.

H&M is the latest fashion retailer to start charging shoppers for online returns. Jonathan De Mello, Founder & CEO at JDM Retail, joins Natalie to explore whether the days of free returns are really over. Why has bracketing (ie. buy 5 items, return 4) become normalised? Hint: retailers, you created a monster. And will charging for returns will be enough of a deterrent to reverse the buy-to-try shopping mentality?

Links:

JDM Retail

Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn

Follow Jonathan on Twitter/X

Register for DEPT Commerce Week on 27/9! Natalie be speaking alongside TikTok and HighSnobiety.

WHAT is a geriatric millenial?

The interview from this episode originally aired on The Globalist from Monocle Radio. Natalie discusses the latest global retail stories with Georgina Godwin:

• Ikea’s Roblox venture: the launch of a virtual store and how Ikea has become the first brand to offer paid work on the gaming platform.
• Walmart’s tech update: innovation in delivery – drones and in-home delivery – and the beta launch of a generative AI-powered shopping assistant.
• Pretty Little Thing becomes the latest UK retailer to start charging for returns.

You can listen to the original episode of The Globalist Episode 3352.

For more, visit NBK Retail.

Chris Browne, former Global Retail Director at Ted Baker, joins Natalie to discuss:

• Visual AI and the opportunities for fashion retail  
• How tech can enhance the shopping experience
• Addressing the perennial problem of returns
• What Western retailers can learn from Asia
• Chris’ vision for the future of the high street

Prefer video? You can also watch Natalie and Chris' conversation on YouTube.

This episode is part of a special collaboration with the Richmond Retail & E-commerce Directors' Forum. Chris will be speaking at the event alongside leaders from across the industry - Tesco, Charlotte Tilbury, TikTok, N Brown and more.

Chris’ bio:

Chris Browne is a retail obsessive and was involved from the very beginning of

Ted Baker in 1988.  He headed up the Retail Team for over 30 years as Global Retail

Director. Key achievements include the successful expansion of the brand internationally, in particular in the USA and Canada, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

During this time, Chris was responsible for many aspects of Ted’s unique style of

retail such as ‘moving windows’ ‘gifts with purchase’, exciting design-led stores

and he is considered one of the leading lights of the drive to create ‘Retail Theatre’!

With its innovative, and sometimes controversial, windows and direct marketing,

which included the handing out of condoms with every purchase in support of

Aids Charities, and an early decision never to advertise, Ted truly led the way in

‘Experiential Retail’.

Chris left Ted Baker in 2017 and has been busy since then as Non-Exec Director of several companies including Angels Face and &Sons, as well as providing global retail insight for leading consulting firms and private equity houses, such as Advent International.

His Angel investments include a Padel Tennis Club in Australia and the recently

launched ‘Jelly Drops’, hydrating sweets for Dementia sufferers.

Chris has had a lifelong interest/obsession with the future and has an abiding

passion for retail/commerce and its evolution, in particular the future use of

stores and their role in the wider context of a brand’s overall ‘UNIFIED’ offer.

He sometimes feels he is alone in being excited by all the change and progression

that is happening in retail but enjoys sharing his vision with fellow retailers

through keynote speeches and his advisory work.

Previous to his Ted Baker career, Chris worked for The Tube, a London-based

fashion shoe business and John Farmer Shoes, formerly part of The Clarks Group.

Miya Knights, author, consultant and publisher of RetailTechnology.co.uk, joins Natalie Berg to break down the biggest news stories reshaping retail.

They discuss:

• Recent changes to loyalty schemes at major UK retailers Boots and M&S. Are points-based schemes becoming a thing of the past as consumers demand real-time value and rewards? Or are these changes a sign that loyalty schemes are too costly to run at a time when retailers are facing an incredible amount of cost pressure themselves? Would you pay £120 a year for an Amazon Prime-style Sparks Plus subscription? And why is Amazon's Prime membership so successful?
• Instacart becoming the latest player in the retail space to trial ChatGPT. What is it and why have the grocers been so quick to jump on this new technology? Who is using it today and what are the AI opportunities for non-food retailers in the future?
• Barcelona's plans to halve emissions from delivery vehicles with 40% of online orders to be delivered to collection points, instead of individual homes, by 2030. Will other cities follow suit? Is this proof that the future of e-commerce really is click & collect? And how is Amazon decarbonising the last mile in Europe?

For more, check out:

Miya's site: www.retailtechnology.co.uk

Natalie's site: www.nbkretail.com

Miya and Natalie's book Amazon: How the World's Most Relentless Retailer Will Continue to Revolutionize Commerce

Prefer video? You can watch Sarah and Natalie's conversation on YouTube.

This episode is part of a collaboration with the Richmond Retail & E-commerce Directors' Forum. Sarah Welsh, CEO of Retail at N Brown, gives us a sneak peek into what she'll be discussing at the event on 18 April 2024. She and Natalie explore:

• What are the barriers to getting women in retail leadership positions?
• The importance of representation - how should we nurture future female leaders?
• Who has inspired Sarah throughout her career?
• How has the shift to flexible and hybrid working impacted women?
• How does N Brown drive the wider EDI&B agenda?

If you are a retailer and would like to join us at the event, we have a handful of spaces left. Please drop Natalie an email: hello@nbkretail.com or message her on LinkedIn or Twitter/X.

And remember to check back for two more retail speaker previews on the podcast later in the month!

Links:

Richmond Retail & E-commerce Directors' Forum

N Brown Group

Sarah Welsh on LinkedIn

BRC D&I Charter

Chris Noice, Communications Director at the Association of Convenience Stores, joins Natalie to discuss Britain’s shoplifting epidemic. They explore:

• The scale of the problem and factors driving the growing wave of shoplifting.
• What motivates shoplifters and is it a victimless crime?
• Cops in shops – will we see more retailers and shopping centres collaborate with the police for in-store police stations?
• From equipping staff with body cams to hiring undercover security guards – what more can retailers do to deter theft?
• Retail staff abuse and the issue of under-reporting.
• The rise of middle class shoplifting and how automation is exacerbating the problem.
• Will retailers see more TikTok-inspired mass shoplifting rampages?
• How can the government take action to curb the rise in shoplifting?

Links:

Chris on LinkedIn

Chris on Twitter/X

ACS - the voice of local shops

NBK Retail

Amazon UK boss John Boumphrey joins Natalie on the podcast to discuss:

• How is Amazon extending the life of returned goods through its Second Chance programme?
• How can the wider industry overcome the returns challenge?
• Futureproofing - with more disruption on the horizon, how does Amazon ensure it stays relevant to customers?
• Consumer outlook - does JB expect consumers to remain relatively resilient as we move into 2024?
• From drones to generative AI: what technologies and innovations should we be watching?

Links:

Did you know preloved shopping is now a $1bn+ business for Amazon in UK/Europe?

Amazon's Second Chance pop-up store in London

For more, check out NBK Retail.

How did a family-run confectionery shop in Devon become the UK’s #1 seller of sweets on TikTok?

George Robinson, Managing Director of SoSweet, shares the retailer's remarkable TikTok journey which started with a Gavin & Stacey inspired clip that went viral in 2020. The business is now making millions on the platform.

George and Natalie discuss:

• The SoSweet story – how a pandemic pivot unlocked a lucrative new channel for the family business.
• Monetizing your audience – how SoSweet’s early TikTok success positioned them well for the launch of TikTok Shop.
• Halo effect - why TikTokers are flocking to SoSweet’s bricks & mortar stores.
• Industry lessons - evolution of social commerce and opportunities for the future.
• Advice for retailers and brands - embracing authenticity, community, evolution.

George's bio:

George Robinson is the Managing Director and Owner of SoSweet, a specialist confectionery business based in the South West of England. The business launched in 2014 and now trades through 16 retail stores across four counties in the South West. It also has a large presence online selling DTC through its website as well dominating the FMCG category on TikTok Shop.

SoSweet also supplies a range of confectionery and snack products directly into hundreds of independent retail stores nationally through its direct-to-store wholesale business SoSweet Direct.

George is a very hands-on MD with a strong involvement across all functions of the business. His long-term goal is to grow SoSweet into a nationally stocked household brand. 

Check out SoSweet on TikTok.

Connect with George on LinkedIn.

Richard Hammond, CEO of Uncrowd and fellow retail author, joins Natalie to explore the differences in US and UK grocery retailing. Why have British retailers failed to crack the American market? When is it ok to have friction? Automation - how can retailers balance customer satisfaction and operational efficiencies? And what is the risk of deprioritizing CX investment in the current climate? 

Listen to the end to hear Richard's own experience of being stuck in self-checkout jail. 🙂

Connect with Richard:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Uncrowd

Richard's books:

Friction/Reward: Be your customer's first choice

Smart Retail: Winning Ideas and Strategies from the Most Successful Retailers in the World

Are the UK supermarkets profiteering? Food price inflation remains stubbornly high at 18.4% - its highest level since the 1970s - and now lawmakers want to understand if the supermarkets are lining their pockets at the expense of the shopper. In this episode, Natalie shares her views on why the grocers aren’t guilty of greedflation: they have no choice but to remain price competitive, while simultaneously doing everything in their power to protect their inherently low profit margins. Harvir Dhillon, Economist at the British Retail Consortium, joins the show to explore some of the cost pressures that retailers are facing, whether inflation has now peaked, and why a supermarket price cap is a bad idea.

Links:

BRC-NielsenIQ Shop Price Index

Connect with Harvir on LinkedIn.

Follow Harvir on Twitter.

Former Tesco director and Nisa CEO Ken Towle joins Natalie on the podcast to discuss:

•    The retail and consumer outlook.
•    Why shrinkflation is not always a bad thing.
•    His experience running Nisa during the pandemic.
•    From self-checkouts to generative AI – how technology is changing the way we shop for food.
•    Grocery e-commerce and the importance of collaboration.
•    Lessons from his time as Tesco China CEO.

Ken Towle is a Retail and Wholesale CEO, Executive, Advisor and Trustee. He spent many years at Tesco where he led the international expansion and acceleration of the group’s multichannel capability. Some of his previous roles at Tesco include CEO of China, Internet Retailing Director and Managing Director of Central Europe, Ireland and Turkey. 

More recent roles include President, Fashion/Teens at Alshaya Group; CEO of Nisa; and SVP, Retail and Logistics at Asda.

Ken is also a Member of the Board of Trustees at Prostate Cancer UK and previously served as a Senior Advisor at the Boston Consulting Group. 

Follow Ken on LinkedIn. 

Ben Sillitoe, Founder and Editor of Green Retail World, joins Natalie in Cannes for a live recap of Manhattan Exchange. How might generative AI be used in warehouses? What are the benefits of giving customers greater control post-purchase? And as consumers deprioritize environmentally-friendly purchases, does Ben think this is just a blip? Or does affordability now trump sustainability? 

They also explore the implications of Manhattan's latest whitepaper Redefining Retail: What's Next for Shoppers and Retailers?, based on a survey of 6,000 consumers and nearly 1,200 Tier 1 retailers around the globe. 

For more on the whitepaper, visit:

Manhattan Associates (blog by James Ash)

Green Retail World (article by Ben Sillitoe)

NBK Retail (blog by Natalie)

Brittain Ladd, former Amazon executive and one of the world’s leading experts in retail strategy, robotics, microfulfillment, logistics, and supply chain management, joins Natalie to break down what a potential Amazon-Ocado deal might look like. They discuss:

• Why Brittain believes that Amazon should buy Ocado.
• Why Amazon would want to double down on grocery e-commerce just when shoppers are returning to supermarkets.
• Whether acquiring Ocado would be a tech/fulfilment play or a chance to finally accelerate its own grocery ambitions.
• Implications for Ocado’s existing global partners (ie. Kroger, Sobeys, Coles, ICA, Auchan etc)
• What is Amazon’s end game – does it want to be a grocer or a technology vendor?
• How might grocery e-commerce evolve and what role will AI play?
• Why Brittain believes that Amazon will still be disrupting by 2030.

More on Brittain:

https://brittainladd.com/

Connect with Brittain on LinkedIn

Dave Mikita is the President of International and Retail Channels at GoTo Foods (formerly Focus Brands). He joins Natalie on the podcast to discuss how GoTo Foods has grown to become the world’s #2 food & beverage licensor and what the company has in store for the future. They explore:

• Beyond buying power, what are the benefits for franchise partners? Dave discusses how GoTo Foods provides support on consumer insights, site selection, supply chain, new product development, menu innovation and more.
• How the GoTo Foods franchise model differentiates overseas.
• Bricks and mortar reinvention – how GoTo Foods is repurposing its QSR and fast-casual places. 
• The symbiotic relationship between bricks & mortar locations and licensed retail products on grocery shelves.
• How to drive global growth while remaining locally relevant (from offering rolls with less sugar in Cinnabon Japan to cream cheese-filled pretzel sticks at Auntie Anne’s in Hong Kong!)

GoTo Foods is the owner of seven iconic brands: Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky’s. For more, visit: www.gotofoods.com  

Bio

Dave Mikita is the President of International and Retail Channels at GoTo Foods (formerly Focus Brands). In his role, Dave leads both the Company’s Retail Channels business as well as its International Franchise business unit. The company’s Retail Channels business, currently ranked as the #2 Food & Beverage Licensor in the world, drives over $1.5 billion in retail revenue globally, and the International Franchise business includes over 2,000 franchised locations operating in 60+ countries. 
 
Prior to this role, Dave served as the President of Retail Channels, bringing over 20 years of operations, marketing and business development experience in both Retail and Foodservice Industries. Dave has been at GoTo Foods (previously Focus Brands) since 2012, assuming increasing levels of responsibility within the Retails Channels team, and in 2017, he assumed complete responsibility for all functions of the business unit while leading the group to double-digit growth.  
 
Before GoTo Foods, Dave held leadership roles at The Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot, and several early-stage, high growth businesses. Dave received his undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and his Master’s in Business Administration from The University of Virginia. He resides in Atlanta with his wife and three children. 

Connect with Dave on LinkedIn

Did you like this episode? Leave us a message on Retail Disrupted.

Nazim Cassim is a retail veteran who served on the Massmart board during the Walmart acquisition. Today, he splits his time between South Africa and Dubai in his current role as CEO of QVWi Retail, MEA. Nazim is also a Founding Member of the Retail Institute of South Africa (RISA), whose mission is to empower the country’s retail workforce through professionalization and training.  

Nazim joins Natalie to discuss:

• The Walmart acquisition and why the retailer is doubling down on Africa.
• Why some businesses fail in South Africa.
• The broader state of South African retail and what last year’s Amazon launch means for the industry.
• Nazim’s views on retail transformation and the critical role of technology in shaping the future of retail.
• QVWi Retail and retailing in the Middle East.
• RISA’s mission, what led to its creation, and the importance of investing in skills development to attract the next generation of talent.

Bio:

Nazim Cassim is a highly respected figure in the retail industry with over 34 years of experience. As the Founding Member of the Retail Institute of South Africa (RISA), Nazim is at the forefront of professionalizing South Africa’s retail sector through competency-based training, micro-credentialing, and industry-recognized qualifications.
 
Nazim served on the Massmart board during the landmark Walmart acquisition in 2010, a defining moment in South African retail history. He played a pivotal role in the turnaround of Massmart’s ailing DIONWIRED business when he served as MD. Nazim previously served as VP for Gen Merch, Food and Liquor. Post his tenure at Massmart, he launched the global appliances brand BEKO brand in partnership with Arcelik Group in SA. 

Nazim is also an advisor on the University of Johannesburg’s Academic Board, contributing his expertise to the advancement of retail education. He serves on the executive Steerco of the Wholesale and Retail Sector for Education and Training (W&R SETA). He is currently the CEO of QVWi Retail MEA, A Skyworth Digital Company. A doctoral candidate, Nazim’s academic pursuits further underscore his commitment to the growth and evolution of the retail industry. 
 
As sought-after keynote speaker, Nazim is widely recognized for his thought leadership and his ability to inspire innovation in retail. His dedication to workforce development and strategic partnerships continues to shape the industry’s future. On the outside, he is an open water advanced scuba diver and loves exotic locations for an adventure dive, and an avid reader of Philosophy.

Connect with Nazim on LinkedIn.

Learn more about the Retail Institute of South Africa (RISA).

On the final episode of 2024, Natalie is joined by authors Mark Abraham and David Edelman to discuss their new book, Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI.

📺 This episode is also available as video, so head over to the new Retail Disrupted channel on YouTube to watch the conversation unfold.

David, Mark, and Natalie discuss how customer expectations are evolving in this digital era, why businesses often get stuck and don’t go far enough when it comes to personalization, and how generative AI will unlock new real-time personalization opportunities for retailers and brands. 

More on the authors:

David C. Edelman has a history of personalization work spanning three decades. Today, he is a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School, an executive advisor and board member to brands and technology providers, and an advisor to BCG. Forbes has repeatedly named him one of the Top 20 Most Influential Voices in Marketing, and Ad Age has named him a Top 20 Chief Marketing and Technology Officer. Together with Mark, David wrote the 2022 Harvard Business Review article (Customer Experience in the Age of AI) that inspired this book.

Mark Abraham is a Senior Partner at BCG and the founder of the firm’s Personalization business, which he has built into a global team of more than 1,000 agile marketers, data scientists, engineers, and martech experts. Mark’s teams have accelerated the personalization efforts of over 100 iconic brands (e.g., Starbucks, Home Depot, and Google) and built some of BCG’s largest ventures and AI platforms, including Fabriq for personalization. Mark now leads BCG’s North American Marketing, Sales & Pricing practice.

About PERSONALIZED

“In a world where consumers expect more—instantly, seamlessly, and the way they want it—personalization is a strategic imperative.”

Research shows consumers want personalized experiences. A select few companies are rising to the challenge by building trusted relationships through digital channels. They engage with customers throughout their journey and tailor interactions using AI and technology. Most companies do not personalize well, wasting money and effort. Personalization must be a strategic priority. Personalized outlines the Five Promises companies must fulfill: Empower Me, Know Me, Reach Me, Show Me, and Delight Me. With examples across industries, PERSONALIZED helps executives put personalization at their strategy's center to accelerate growth and capture their share of the $2 trillion personalization prize.

Thank you to the Retail Disrupted community for an amazing year! Enjoy the festive break and see you in 2025.

For more, visit https://retaildisrupted.com 

Richard Lim, CEO of Retail Economics, joins Natalie for a wide-ranging discussion on:

• The health of the UK consumer and why 2024 will be a year of two halves.
• Richard's inflation theory (listen to find out!)
• Combating cost pressures in 2024 - business rates, labour costs and more.
• November data releases - interpreting the BRC retail sales and Barclaycard consumer spending data - from 'insperiences' to 'revenge spending'
• Digital transformation progress and where next for the industry.
• Separating hype from reality - why generative AI is not 'the next metaverse' (in buzzword bingo).
• ESG - managing conflicting consumer demands for convenience and sustainability.

Links:

Retail Economics

Richard on LinkedIn 

Retail Economics on Twitter/X

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating or review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

From the rise of Temu and Shein to immersive digital commerce - and not to mention the resurgence of good old-fashioned bricks & mortar retail - Amazon certainly isn’t short of competitive threats.

Miya Knights and Natalie Berg, co-authors of Amazon: How the World’s Most Relentless Retailer Will Continue to Revolutionize Commerce, reconnect on Amazon’s 30th anniversary to explore what comes next for the online retailing giant and whether it has what it takes to stay relevant in the future.

They discuss:

• How Amazon became the most influential retailer of the 21st century.
• Whether Jeff Bezos’ belief that most large companies only last around 30+ years still rings true.
• How AI and technology more generally is enabling retailers to level the playing field and future-proof their store estate.
• Temu – how it differentiates from Amazon, whether they can co-exist and what do the authors make of Amazon’s plans to launch a Temu-style storefront?
• The future of digital commerce – we don’t browse on Amazon! How the rise of TikTok, Roblox and other immersive platforms will require action by Amazon to avoid being perceived as too transactional and one-dimensional.

Connect with Miya on LinkedIn and don’t forget to subscribe to her Retail Technology magazine!

For more, visit NBK Retail.

*THE PODCAST IS NOW PAUSING FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST. HAVE A GREAT SUMMER BREAK AND SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER.*

Live from Paris Retail Week, Natalie speaks to FreedomPay and Worldpay about unified commerce and how payments are evolving to meet customer needs. Panellists include:

Chris Kronenthal, President at FreedomPay

Barry Stearn, VP Global Program Owner at FreedomPay

Lee Reed, VP Partnership Management at Worldpay

Tom Essenhigh, VP Retail at Worldpay

The panel discussion can also be viewed on YouTube.

Retail expert Maureen Hinton joins Natalie to discuss retailer resilience. Which fashion retailers are defying the economic climate and what is the secret to their success? Maureen also shares her views on the state of the consumer and whether the Black Friday deals will sizzle or fizzle.

Connect with Maureen:

Twitter/X

LinkedIn

Learn more about our work at the KPMG/Retail Next Retail Think Tank

Gary Kusin, co-founder of GameStop and Laura Mercier Cosmetics, joins Natalie on the podcast to discuss: 

• GameStop’s origins: what inspired Gary and James McCurry to launch the world’s first video game store in the early 80s?
• Successes and missed opportunities: what would Gary have done differently?
• The pivot to makeup: Gary discusses how a conversation with former Macy’s Chairman Terry Lundgren sparked the idea for Laura Mercier.
• Continuous improvement versus continuous change.
• Customer centricity: why so many brands today fail to get this right.
• Kinko’s: Gary shares how, as Kinko’s CEO, he turned the loss-making business into to a highly profitable enterprise that was later acquired by FedEx.
• Meme stocks: Gary shares his views on the GameStop stock market frenzy.

Gary’s bio:

Gary Kusin is a mentor, investor, entrepreneur, business advisor, and author of the forthcoming book Always Learning: Lessons on Leveling Up from GameStop to Laura Mercier and Beyond [April 2024]. He today advises an array of public and private companies, large and small, on strategy, management and growth issues. In addition, Kusin continues his full schedule of mentoring and has mentored well over 1000 individuals during the course of his career. Kusin co-founded two companies, Babbage’s, operating today as GameStop (NYSE: GME), and Laura Mercier Cosmetics, both of which are well-known global brands. Gary spent 13 years as a senior advisor to the global private equity firm TPG, including a large amount of his time mentoring CEOs of TPG portfolio companies. He served from 2001-2006 as President and Chief Executive Officer of Kinko’s, today operating as FedEx Office. Kusin was responsible for the turnaround, strategic growth and transformation of Kinko’s and oversaw the ultimate sale to FedEx, directly reporting to Fred Smith, founder of FedEx, for the 2 years required to integrate Kinko’s into FedEx and be renamed FedEx Office. Kusin is an Inc. Magazine “Entrepreneur of the Year” award winner and has served on the boards of many public and private firms both in America and abroad including names such as Electronic Arts, Petco, Sabre, and Myer Department Stores in Australia. Kusin has been very involved in Dallas community activities throughout his career. A representative sample of organizations and positions include the St. Mark’s School of Texas Board of Trustees, Dallas Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) chairman, Dallas Citizen’s Council Board of Directors and the Southwestern Medical School Foundation. A member of the University of Texas McComb’s School of Business Hall of Fame, Kusin earned a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Harvard Business School.