Retail Disrupted

Live from Amazon's 'Delivering the Future' event in Dortmund, Germany, Natalie speaks to three Amazon execs about today's announcements: Rocco Bräuniger - Vice President, Country Manager Germany & Expansion Countries EU Nicola Fyfe - Vice President, Amazon Logistics Europe Sarah Rhoads - Vice President, Global Workplace Health & Safety We explore the launch of Vulcan, Amazon's first robot with a s...

Kelly Cook is the newly appointed CEO of David's Bridal. She joins Natalie on the podcast to discuss how David's Bridal is embarking on the biggest shift in its 75-year history, transitioning from a legacy bridal retailer to becoming a tech-powered retail, AI, and media powerhouse. 📺 This is a video episode and can be watched here . Kelly and Natalie explore: •    How David's plans to expand beyo...

With extensive experience in merchandising, Beatriz Ciraudo has worked with global brands such as Lacoste, Salvatore Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Chloé. Her career spans Brazil, France, and Italy, giving her a unique international perspective on merchandising and retail strategy. Now, as a Presales Consultant at Centric Software , Beatriz helps retailers and brands leverage cutting-edge AI-...

Mohsen Ghasempour is the Group Director of AI at Kingfisher . He joins Natalie on the podcast, live from the Retail Technology Show press briefing, to discuss how Kingfisher is utilising AI to drive operational efficiencies and improve the experience for customers. They discuss: AI-powered markdowns and promotions. How AI enabled Kingfisher to quickly scale its marketplace from 55,000 SKUs to over...

George Sullivan is a 34-year-old founder, born and bred in London. Ten years ago, whilst working in recruitment, he started a platform to help people find shoes. Since then, that online community has grown into an 8-figure global business and a key strategic partner to some of the world's biggest brands like Nike, Adidas, Converse, Puma, and more. The Sole Supplier now has a community of over thre...

Kirsty Keoghan is responsible for eBay's global fashion business. She joins Natalie to discuss the evolution of the fashion category on the platform, emphasizing the importance of a frictionless experience for both buyers and sellers, and the trust built through authenticity guarantees. Kirsty shares how the competitive landscape is evolving and the impact of eBay's decision to remove fees for pri...

Hash Ladha, CEO of Jigsaw and former CEO of Oasis and Warehouse, joins Natalie to discuss fashion retailing, the resurgence of accessible luxury, and lessons for the next generation of retail leaders. 📺 This is a video episode and can watched on the Retail Disrupted YouTube channel here . Hash and Natalie explore: Accessible luxury – with competition intensifying, how does Hash see the sector evo...

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 p...

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. Alw...

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 centrici...

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 N...

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...

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 brand...

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 ma...

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 o...

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...

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,...

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, frictionl...

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 entrepr...

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 i...

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...

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 mont...

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 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 Ticke...

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...