Attendees:
- Charlotte Kula-Przezwanski, Vice Chair & Managing Partner-Columbus Consulting
- Andrew Jennings OBE, Strategic Advisor-Columbus Consulting
Retail Store Tours – May 12
Gymshark, Regent Street
- Multi-functional flagship: retail, gym, social space
- Immersive experiences: fitness classes, 121 shopping
- Over 900,000 annual store visitors
- Focus: community, events, brand immersion
IKEA City, Oxford Street
- Urban-focused format with curated collections
- Heavy digital integration (app use, queue busting)
- 30% app loyalty penetration
- Focus on sustainability, functionality, culture-driven store layout
Conference Key Themes & Takeaways
Retail Leadership and Strategy
- Ken Murphy (Tesco): Align growth with values; focus on being “faster, bolder, smarter.”
- Authentic Brands + Saks: Luxury is evolving—expect full lifestyle ecosystems (e.g., hospitality, content, digital).
- Todd Snyder: Community connection, authenticity, and curated discovery experiences matter.
AI and Technology in Retail
- AI Use Cases:
- Ocado: 100+ AI implementations
- Alibaba: AI-generated product reviews increased sales by 9%
- AI now handles 70% of customer queries
- Advice:
- Act with purpose—don’t adopt tech blindly
- Train teams, integrate thoughtfully
- Data sovereignty and cybersecurity are essential
Sustainability & Ethical Business
- Helena Helmersson (ex-H&M):
- Sustainability at a crossroads; we’re in the “valley of disillusion”
- Real change requires deep commitment—not just box-ticking
- Customers want sustainability, but rarely pay for it
Retail Media & Commerce Evolution
- Retailers becoming media platforms (John Lewis, A.S. Watson)
- Revenue stream beyond sales: monetising digital traffic
- Marketplace + media = scalable growth model
Customer & Market Trends
- Gen Z: Trend-loyal not brand-loyal; highly experimental
- Older Consumers: Brand-loyal, value stability
- Retail Must: Go where your customers are—digitally and physically
- Changing Demographics: Ageing population, tech-native Gen Alpha rising
Diversity & Leadership
- Inclusive leadership linked to stronger business outcomes
- Boards still lack gender diversity—especially in CEO roles
- Solutions: reverse mentoring, sponsorship programs, culture of psychological safety
Challenger Brands & Innovation
- New brands driving market shifts with speed and purpose
- Disruption = opportunity: brands like Greggs, Knoops, Unhidden proving impact
- Innovation must be continuous and rooted in customer relevance
Global Retail Dynamics
- Trade/Tariffs: Creating uncertainty in sourcing and strategy
- Sourcing Strategy: Retailers adjusting locations and supplier relationships
- Growth: New markets, tech-enabled efficiencies, brand clarity
Final Insights
- Innovation, AI, sustainability, and inclusive leadership are redefining retail.
- The future belongs to adaptive, curious, values-led, customer-obsessed businesses.
- Be bold, but strategic—balance experimentation with brand integrity.
Interested in finding out more about what happened at this year’s conference?
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ABOUT COLUMBUS CONSULTING
Columbus Consulting delivers solutions that drive true value and have been transforming the retail and CPG industries for over two decades. We are a retail consulting company of industry experts. Our approach is simple, if you do it, we do it. We are more than consultants; we are experienced practitioners who actually sat in our clients’ seats. We understand the challenges, know what questions to ask and deliver the right solutions. Columbus offers a unique, consumer-centric approach with an end-to-end perspective that bridges functional & organization silos from strategy to execution. OUR SPECIALTIES include: unified commerce, merchandising & category management, planning & inventory management, sourcing & supply chain, data & analytics, accounting, finance & operations, people & organization and information technology. Let us know how we can help you. To learn more, visit COLUMBUSCONSULTING.COM.
