The Retail Exchange

It’s certainly been a year of hyper-speed development in the world of e-commerce. The pandemic presented countless challenges for those working in online retail and forced everyone to up their game. Now comes the big question: “what’s next?”. In our latest episode of The Retail Exchange podcast, Boohoo CIO Jo Graham and Endava VP Retail Industry Acceleration Bradley Howard join guest host Cate Trotter to discuss why agility is the new commercial imperative, how technology and data driven decisions are improving the customer journey, and what solutions will help e-commerce retailers to adapt and thrive in the new landscape. Want to hear more from Bradley Howard, VP Retail Industry Acceleration at Endava? Listen to more Endava content: ASOS and Amazon: what can we learn from them to deliver great experiences, featuring Brian McBride (Former Amazon Managing Director and Chairman of ASOS). Available on-demand: Watch Now

For many, having a place to enjoy a good cup of coffee is seen as a vital part of daily and community life. One of the most beloved brands in the UK is Costa Coffee. It’s a very different business to the one started back in 1971. Today, it has grown to almost 4,000 locations across more than 30 countries. Host Martin Popplewell sits down with Adam Dunt, Global Creative Design Lead, to talk coffee culture and ask how the right kind of design can create a warm, welcoming space that truly connects with the local communities it serves. Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed podcast interview series. Hear from the finest minds and inspiring thinkers as they share insights into delivering success and get to the heart of the industry’s big issues.

As 2020 rolls to a close, our final podcast episode of the year reflects on the year that was. A year in retail, like no other. If you were trying to end this year by winning a prize for its greatest understatement, you could describe 2020 as ‘eventful’. It is difficult in many respects to argue that 2020 was an especially good year. Emerging trends didn’t just gather momentum, they marched forward to turn the industry on its head in ways we could never have imagined. For retail, it’s been a year of contrasting fortunes. Some have faltered. Others have thrived. To set the tone, we revisit some of the interviews and discussions that have shaped our podcast episodes in 2020, with special co-hosts Karl McKeever and Natalie Berg reflecting on the past year – the challenges faced, things we’ve learned, the opportunities taken – and looking ahead at what’s to come in what we all hope will be a brighter 2021.

In the final episode of ‘The Special’ from The Retail Exchange podcast, we discuss this year’s explosive growth in grocery eCommerce retail, and look ahead as the sector prepares for December festivities. Grocery retailers have stepped up to the plate in 2020. But as shoppers ready themselves to shop online for their festive food favourites this year, who are set to be the winners and losers this Christmas, and why? Host Martin Popplewell is joined by guests to analyse what impact a ‘Covid Christmas’ is likely to have on grocery retailer’s home delivery solutions. We ask what grocery retailers can do as they attempt to up-weight their eCommerce experience to build customer loyalty. And explore the technological advances that are powering e-commerce growth behind the scenes. Featuring guests Luke Jensen, CEO of Ocado Solutions, David Clements, Global Retail Director at Dunnhumby, and Chris Carter CEO of Melody.

In this latest episode of ‘The Special’ from The Retail Exchange podcast, we look at the business of 25 December ahead of what will be a very different Christmas 2020 for the retail industry. Host Martin Popplewell is joined by guests to analyse approaches to this year’s big festive advertising campaigns and discuss the likely impact on retail footfall as retailer prepare to re-open their doors after the UK’s second lockdown. Plus we look ahead to the key trends for the year ahead. Featuring guests Simon Gregory, Joint Chief Strategy Officer at BBH, Richard Lim, CEO at Retail Economics, and Jack Stratten, Senior Trend Consultant at Insider Trends.  

In this latest episode of ‘The Special’ from The Retail Exchange podcast, we reflect on key developments in the world of eCommerce in recent months. We assess the changes in shopper behaviour, how e-commerce playbooks have had to be reinvented, and the challenges that retailers and brands face to maximise sales during 2020’s crucial ‘Golden Quarter’ at a time when a growing number of consumers are buying what we need with a click. Featuring guests Dean McElwee, Integrated Commercial Lead Europe eCommerce at Kelloggs, Rob Wood, Head of Online at The Entertainer, and Lukasz Stebelski, Head of Strategy at eStoreMedia. Sponsored by

Listeners with a sweet tooth will likely already be familiar with the Hotel Chocolat brand.  Started in 1993, it has charmed UK shoppers with its meticulously produced chocolate and is now one of our most beloved chocolatiers. As the business prepares for one of its busiest times of the year, and what promises to be a very different ‘Covid’ Christmas, it’s also back on our TV screens this autumn, providing behind the scenes access into the running of the UK’s biggest chocolate maker. In this special episode of The Interview Series, Hotel Chocolat CEO and Co-founder, Angus Thirlwell, joins Martin Popplewell in conversation to talk about the business response to the global pandemic and ‘Retail Darwinism’, the growing importance of online sales and its increasing global appeal. They say ‘life is like a box of chocolates’, and that has never felt truer. A year that started full of promise has, well, turned out a little differently than we hoped—to put it mildly. For many in retail, profits may have melted in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. But at Hotel Chocolat, they remain positive about the future, with gifting and online sales protecting it from the worst of the impact on physical retail. Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed podcast interview series. Hear from the finest minds and inspiring thinkers as they share insights into delivering success and get to the heart of the industry’s big issues.

Retailers are sometimes accused of pursuing surface-level? initiatives, designed to satisfy PR metrics rather than deliver real change. That cannot be said of Falabella. The Chilean-based department store chain Falabella is one of the country’s most treasured brands. A more than century-old success story, the retailer is a true South American powerhouse. It is also committed to investing in a responsible plan to secure the future for both its business, and the people of Chile. When it comes to responsible retailing, it is, quite literally, ‘thinking out of the box’—helping the country’s poorest turn waste cardboard into paper money. It’s just one of the many initiatives that we spotlight, in this special episode. Recorded in Sanitago earlier this year, Falabella director of sustainability, Pamela Lagos talks exclusively to guest host Karl McKeever. She shares the inside story of how one of the country’s most famous retail names is investing in a responsible plan for future success, and the steps it is taking to show people and profitability can co-exist in greater harmony. Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed podcast interview series. Hear from the finest minds and inspiring thinkers as they share insights into delivering success and get to the heart of the industry’s big issues.

To many, buying makeup can be confusing, expensive, and inconvenient. Birchbox founders Hayley Barna and Katia Beauchamp thought so too. A decade ago, they envisioned a way for customers — just like themselves — to easily and efficiently try, learn about, and purchase beauty products online. And so beauty subscription service Birchbox was born. Today it has more than 4 million subscribers and customers around the world. It has also expanded its offer into male grooming — allowing it to tap into an enormous group of underserved consumers. In this special episode of The Interview Series, recorded in New York earlier this year, Birchbox COO, Pooja Agarwal sits down with US host Dave Evans. She explains how this pioneer of the subscription model has evolved and continues to remain on the cutting edge of the customer experience. Looks ahead to what lies in store as it embarks on its next exciting chapter. And shares the story of her own remarkable journey in retail. Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed podcast interview series. Hear from the finest minds and inspiring thinkers as they share insights into delivering success and get to the heart of the industry’s big issues.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the products consumers care about the most are the ones that are keeping them connected. With brick and mortar stores closed, Enjoy – the first mobile retail store available on-demand – is playing a vital role, helping to get much-needed communications tools to consumers, safely and quickly. Like many companies, it has had to adjust and take time to figure out the best, safest next steps for Experts, partners and customers. The result has led to the creation of a whole new contactless experience to enable big brands like BT and EE in the UK, AT&T in the US, and Rogers in Canada, to bring tech products directly to consumers in the comfort of their own homes. In this special episode of The Interview recorded in New York earlier this year, US host Dave Evans sits down with retail luminary and Enjoy CEO, Ron Johnson. Perhaps best known for his work creating and leading Apple Stores during their first 12 years, then later as CEO of JCPenney, today his focus is on delivering joy through life-improving mobile retail experiences through Enjoy, the business he co-founded. Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed podcast interview series. Hear from the finest minds and inspiring thinkers as they share insights into delivering success and get to the heart of the industry’s big issues.

The phrase ‘Wellbeing’ has become commonly adopted in recent years. But it has taken on increased significance and importance for retailers and employees in the face of the global pandemic, and rightly so. Now is most definitely a time to put people before profit. Coming up on this episode of The Special, we take an in-depth look at the human impact of the outbreak across the industry and the importance of wellbeing in these unprecedented times. We hear from Yulia O’Mahony, former head of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing at John Lewis & Partners, to get a retailer perspective on the very real ‘people challenges’ facing retail leaders. And we speak to a panel of wellbeing specialists to explore and explain the major issues facing senior retail management. From the hugely complex reality of remote working, to ensuring all staff remain motivated, engaged, connected and, above all, safe. Running time 51:03

Retailers across Europe have acutely impacted by the pandemic in recent weeks. Less so in North America: Until now. To find out more about the unfolding situation in both the U.S and Canada, The Retail Exchange host Dave Evans reports from New York as look at how the pandemic is affecting retailers on the other side of the Atlantic as physical stores close their doors. He is joined by Bloomberg retail reporter, Jordyn Holman, and Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, to share a US perspective, while Craig Patterson, editor in chief of Retail Insider, discusses the challenges facing Canadian retailers as this turbulent time. Running time 30:33

The global Covid-19 pandemic is first and foremost a health emergency. But it is also an economic crisis, causing astonishing turmoil for retailers around the world as they close the doors on their physical stores. For how long, we don’t yet know. In many sectors of retail, business has all but stopped, and without hardly any warning. And we are, frankly, only at a very early stage of whatever this is. In our next episode of ‘The Special’, we delve into the ramifications of the retail apocalypse that nobody saw coming. Running time 41:01

No one has ever seen anything like this. An unprecedented crisis demands unprecedented responses. In our first episode of ‘The Special’ series, we explore how the Covid-19 outbreak is affecting grocery retailers. What are some of the biggest issues facing retailers right now, and how are they tackling them? Host Martin Popplewell is joined by a series of guests, as we try to make sense of the volatile, fast moving and hugely complex situation that’s challenging major multiples, symbol group and independent convenience retailers alike. Featuring Luke Tugby, editor of Retail Week, Ronan Hegarty, news editor of The Grocer, Greg Deacon, chief operating officer of NFRN, Mike Exley, former Head of Logistics at Morrisons, and Craig Summers, managing director of Manhattan Associates. We’re also joined by Jean McCabe, chair of Retail Excellence Ireland to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on Irish retailers. Running time 54:17

Sponsored by NG Retail Summit 2020 Best known for his work with brands such as Foot Locker, Starbucks, Verizon and Nike, Kambiz Hemati embodies the serenity that permeates the retail spaces he designs. In our latest episode of The Interview Series, sponsored by NG Retail Summit 2020, US host Dave Evans sits down with the respected retail designer to discuss the art of brand storytelling and the importance of creating physical spaces with architectural integrity, local relevance and customers at their heart. He also looks back on the experiences that have shaped his own storied career and taken him on a journey with iconic leading edge global consumer technology, athletic apparel and footwear, fashion and coffee companies. Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed podcast interview series. Hear from the finest minds and inspiring thinkers as they share insights into delivering success and get to the heart of the industry’s big issues.