The Retail Exchange

Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed 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. LEGO is one of the most recognised toy brands in the world. In this edition of ‘The Interview’, business broadcaster Ben Bland sits down with Simone Sweeney, Vice President of Global Retail Development for LEGO Group. Originally recorded at World Retail Congress 2018 in Madrid earlier this year, she explains why discovery, joy and play are so important in physical retail experiences.

Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed 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 fast food industry is notoriously competitive. In this edition of ‘The Interview’, we sit down with John Vincent, the co-founder of Leon Restaurants. Originally recorded at World Retail Congress 2018 in Madrid earlier this year, he takes business broadcaster Ben Bland through the story of the brand’s growth and its ‘family’ ethos, and talks passionately about his views on the issue of sustainable capitalism. Guidance: Contains some strong language.  

Supermarket sales are predicted to hit £197bn by 2021. As the hunger for change in the sector grows, assumptions that have underpinned the business models of the big grocery retail players for so many years no longer hold true. Evolving shopper habits, ongoing cost pressures, increased competition and further consolidation. In our latest episode, we examine what the future could look like for grocery. Broadcaster Ben Bland sits down with senior industry thinkers to discuss the challenges that exist, as well as the opportunities to rethink the role of the supermarket. The guest panel features Karl McKeever, Founder and Managing Director of Visual Thinking, Sarah Fairhurst, Design Director at Dalziel & Pow and Michael Heanue, Joint Managing Director of M Worldwide.

Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed 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. In this edition of ‘The Interview’, we sit down with Neal’s Yard Remedies director of international sales Calum Mackay. Originally recorded at World Retail Congress 2018 in Madrid earlier this year, he takes business broadcaster Ben Bland through his varied career in beauty, explains the importance of going the extra mile to engage with international retailers and customers, and shares his top tips for surviving the long haul to success.

Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed 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. Juventus Football Club head of brand licensing and retail, Silvio Vigato shares his views on all things sports retail, the power of fan loyalty, and how the club uses its football stars to promote the brand on a global scale.

Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed 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. Co-founders of menswear apparel brand L’Estrange, university friends Tom Horne and Will Green share the story behind the brand’s development, talk about their store concept ‘The Apartment’, and explain why more fashion brands should champion a move towards ‘Essentialism’.

Shopping malls are where you can find everything under one roof. They have been with us for decades, but are these – usually gigantic – developments still as relevant as they once were? How will mall owners keep enticing shoppers in the years ahead? Will the big anchor store still be the big draw? And what will the mall experience of tomorrow look like? In our latest episode, broadcaster Ben Bland sits down with senior industry thinkers to discuss. The guest panel features Myf Ryan, Chief Marketing Officer for Westfield, Emma Robinson, Assistant Director of Asset Management at Hammerson and Nick Guy, Director at architect firm, CallisonRTKL.

Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed 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. A lot of talk in the automotive and technology sectors focuses on driverless cars; we’re told they’re just around the corner. In this edition of ‘The Interview’, we sit down with Rockar founder Simon Dixon. He talks to business broadcaster Ben Bland about his company’s latest partnership with industry giant Ford and fashion retailer Next, and how innovation is moving car retailing up a gear – transforming perceptions and putting power into the hands of customers. Recording and production by Boutique Recording.

The Retail Exchange reports from Madrid as the sun sets on this year’s World Retail Congress. The final day saw some big brands flying the flag for a brighter tomorrow, taking to the stage on the theme of ‘The Future of Retail’. Among them Williams Sonoma, El Corte Ingles, Sephora and Tommy Hilfiger, whose chief brand officer urged retailers to “rip up the rulebook” in order to remain relevant in the new retail age. Ben Bland kept a watchful eye on the key themes and caught up with some of those attending to reflect on the last few days.

The Retail Exchange reports from Day Two of the 2018 World Retail Congress in Madrid. Bringing together speakers from brands including Grupo Cortefiel, IKEA, Harvey Nichols and El Palacio del Hierro, the second day threw up some interesting questions. What are the secrets to leadership success? How can retail achieve economic as well as environmental sustainability? Is it time retailers went back to its emotional roots? If the atmosphere during the second day was anything to go by, then retailers are eager to embrace the challenges ahead. As the second day came to an end, we caught up with speakers and those attending to get their thoughts on the key take-outs and themes dominating the event.

The Retail Exchange visits Madrid for this year’s World Retail Congress, as international retail leaders arrived in the Spanish capital for the three-day event, eager to explore the theme of this year’s event, “Innovate to win”. Returning to Europe for the first time in three years, the event was officially opened by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. Taking place amid an atmosphere of optimism, the Congress continues to be the leading light in the industry calendar. As the first day came to an end, we caught up with attendees to get their thoughts on the key take-outs and themes dominating presentations and discussions.

Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed 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. In our latest special edition of The Interview ahead of the World Retail Congress 2018, business broadcaster Ben Bland talks to Grupo Cortefiel CEO, Jaume Miquel. He discusses the key trends he expects to dominate the agenda at the Congress and tells the story of retail transformation and international expansion taking place within the Grupo Cortefiel.

Featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures from the world of retail, this is The Retail Exchange’s informed 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 Interview’ is back with a special edition ahead of the World Retail Congress 2018, featuring an in-depth conversation with Gavin Aldred, owner of online clothing brand Supremebeing.com. Business broadcaster Ben Bland sits down with him to talk refashioning physical and online retailing and explore why the brand has eschewed many standard industry practices in favour of tackling ethical concerns.

This episode we’re discussing the power of people. As technology and automation becomes more prevalent in the world of retail, the idea of having store assistants might seem old-fashioned. But the human touch is still very much in demand. We ask our experts for their views of what the future holds for human interaction within the physical retail environment. As ever we’ll gauge how the industry is shifting its focus, the implications of delivering a human scale on the shop floor, and how retailers can better engage their most valuable of resources to bring innovation to a whole level instore. Joining business broadcaster Ben Bland are guests Lara Marrero, Strategy Director at Gensler, Mel Hales, director of Rush Collective and Karl McKeever, founder and managing director of Visual Thinking.

‘The Interview’ is The Retail Exchange’s series of in-depth interviews with leading figures from the world of retail. In this special edition, recorded at NRF Big Show 2018, business broadcaster Ben Bland talks to Jason Breazeale, Director of Innovation for Ahold Delhaize. He discusses the challenges of grocery retail as the direction moves away from being simply functional transactions to delivering a seamless, life-orientated retail experience for the shopper, regardless of channel. Recording & production by Boutique Recording and  Hangar Studios.