ReThink Productivity Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Productivity Pulse , James , Sue , and Simon talk about recent project insights, ReSearch developments and team milestones and the 2027 Productivity Forum  The Self-Checkout Dilemma: The team examines the evolving role of self-checkouts in retail, the customer frustration caused when peak times cause queues, and how businesses can balance assisted checkouts...

Send us Fan Mail Physical stores aren't dying—they're evolving. In this episode of The Productivity Podcast, Simon sits down with Bradley Capon , VP at Yoobic , to dissect the future of frontline retail operations and why human-led stores remain the heart of the industry. AI-Powered Store Support: How instant AI assistants and automated visual compliance (processing millions of photos) a...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the inaugural episode of Rethinking CX , hosted by Simon Fraser & Simon Hedaux , where customer experience meets productivity at the intersection of emerging technology, operational strategy, and consumer behavior. In this episode, the hosts unpack the key macro forces shaping the modern business landscape—exploring how AI agents are transforming retail, why climate...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Hedaux, Hogg & Machines , the Ed & Simon dive into seven chaotic weeks of AI developments and what they mean for the retail and hospitality sectors. From debunking extreme AI safety headlines to examining how autonomous agents are making purchases on behalf of consumers, this discussion breaks down the practical realities behind the hype.  Key Topics Cov...

Send us Fan Mail In this special recap episode of The Productivity Pulse , James , Sue , and Simon reflect on the key takeaways, sessions, and strategy insights from the recent Productivity Forum at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham. Joined by over 160 clients, industry leaders, and partners, the team breaks down the core themes of the event—from rethinking efficiency to pragmatic techn...

Send us Fan Mail Why do operational bottlenecks persist even when you have access to performance data? In this episode of The Productivity Pulse , James , Sue , and Simon discuss how qualitative research bridges the gap between knowing what your workforce is doing and understanding why they do it. The team shares real-world case studies from recent client projects—ranging from store managers stuck...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Productivity Podcast, we speak with Kayleigh Fazan , founder of the International Retail Academy , to discuss why transforming the customer experience has to start behind the scenes. Kayleigh shares her insights from over 20 years in retail, explaining why true productivity is all about empowering leaders, building team confidence, and getting the basics rig...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Sue and Simon explore essential resources for enhancing productivity and validating business cases. If you're seeking insights to inform your next project, this conversation is packed with valuable information. Case Studies : Learning from the Best Sue highlights the importance of case studies for anyone looking to build a solid business case. These real-worl...

Send us Fan Mail This month on the productivity podcast Ben Collier , co-founder at Ocasta discusses how streamlining store communications is helping drive actionable tasks, frontline micro-learning, and better sales conversions, and looks ahead to when AI will automatically guide managers through effective team coaching. Key takeaways: From Consumer Apps to Frontline Operations: How a serendipito...

Send us Fan Mail In this debut episode of "Hedaux, Hogg & the Machines" , host Simon is joined by guest co-host Ed Hogg , CEO of SolvedBy.ai . Together, they explore the fast-moving state of AI technology and its practical applications across retail, hospitality, and customer-facing environments. Key takeaways: 🔹 Data Security: Why enterprise security settings matter when using LLMs...

Send us Fan Mail This month on our business productivity podcast, we spoke to Will Eadie , Chief Strategy Officer at WorkJam. We discussed how Task Management tools are helping drive compliance, productivity and colleague engagement, and looked ahead to when systems will automatically suggest actions, saving even more admin time. Key takeaways: Productivity Drives Engagement: Why giving frontline...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Peter Kuhlang , CEO of the MTM Association, to unpack MTM as a process language that turns work description into reliable time standards. We also test the hype around AI by looking at how video and motion data can speed up analysis without losing credibility. • Peter’s path from industrial engineering to leading MTM globally  • What MTM is and why predetermined mo...

Send us Fan Mail The countdown is officially on. We are just two months away from the annual Productivity Forum on September 10th in Birmingham , and this week on The Productivity Pulse , we’re giving you an exclusive sneak peek at what’s in store. With over 150 operational and productivity leaders already registered, this year’s event is shaping up to be our biggest and most impactful yet. Join h...

Send us Fan Mail Diane Wehrle CEO at Rendle Intelligence and Insights joins Simon for their monthly chat We take a look at May’s retail and economic signals, where the mood stays low but the sales numbers finally lift. We tease out how heat, online shopping, and where people choose to spend time reshape the outlook for high streets, retail parks, and seaside towns. • Consumer confidence stuck at m...

Send us Fan Mail What separates guesswork from actual, sustainable efficiency? Professional training. In this episode, our resident experts— Sue , Simon & James —are joined by special guest Phil to break down why credible productivity work must start with the right foundations.  They dive into how the ReThink Academy is shaping the next generation of industry experts through our four core cour...

Send us Fan Mail Diane Wehrle CEO at Rendle Intelligence and Insights joins Simon for their monthly chat April’s numbers look grim on the surface, but Easter timing shifts spending into March and distorts the year on year story. We discuss the real signals behind falling footfall and softer sales, then ask what rising costs and uncertainty are doing to jobs, confidence and everyday choices.  • Eas...

Send us Fan Mail We recorded our first live ReThink Productivity podcast at the Retail Technology Show after-show party, talking candidly about what retail tech is actually doing for productivity right now. Chris Chandler and Steve Young share what is changing with AI, wage pressure, training, and the practical realities of running stores on land and at sea. • AI at the show feeling more integrate...

Send us Fan Mail We gave Notebook LM our first ReThink Productivity Retail Report NotebookLM digs into why shops can look perfectly staffed and still fail you at the checkout or on the shop floor, then trace the problem back to how retail measures efficiency. We use the ReThink Productivity Retail Report 2026 to show how a push for 100% utilisation creates a capacity cap that burns out colleagues...

Send us Fan Mail Diane Wehrle CEO at Rendle Intelligence and Insights joins Simon for their monthly chat We read the March 2026 retail and economic data against a month shaped by war and an early Easter, where strong headlines hide weaker high street reality • March footfall rising year on year but flattered by a weak 2025 comparison • BRC sales growth driven mainly by food as households buy ahead...

Send us Fan Mail Sue , Simon , & James share the top-line findings from ReThink Productivity Future Retail Ready Benchmarking Report and explain how a £6.25bn opportunity could be unlocked. They walk through six golden rules to improve store performance, protect customer experience, and avoid hidden workload that quietly harms sales. • Why retailers feel the squeeze after the ‘easy wins’ are g...

Send us Fan Mail Hear directly from our experts— Sue , Simon , & James —who share real-world trends, new data findings, and actionable productivity insights We share the latest ReThink Academy training updates and why we built courses we wish we’d had when we first stepped into productivity and workload modelling roles. We also unpack how measuring work can remove customer friction, from mobil...

Send us Fan Mail Diane Wehrle CEO at Rendle Intelligence and Insights joins Simon for their monthly chat They break down why February 2026 turns into a tough month for UK retail, with record rain dragging down footfall and high street sales. They also zoom out to consumer confidence, inflation pressures, and the April policy changes that could reshape hiring and costs. • Record wet weather and why...

Send us Fan Mail We gave NotebookLM our Productivity Pulse podcasts from November 2025 to February 2026 with Sue , Simon , & James and this is what it came up with... We follow the stop-watch data behind everyday queues and show how “efficient” labour models can still create predictable chaos at peak demand. We trace how wage pressure, algorithmic scheduling, and physical layout decisions resh...

Send us Fan Mail Hear directly from our experts— Sue , Simon , & James —who share real-world trends, new data findings, and actionable productivity insights We dig into stock to shelf benchmarking and reveal how much replenishment time is lost to movement and returns. We share early findings and details of our benchmarking report and Retail Technology Show plans • Early look at our retail benc...

Send us Fan Mail We gave NotebookLM our podcasts from November 2025 to February 2026 with Diane Wehrle CEO at Rendle Intelligence and this is what it came up with... We test a hard question: are UK retail’s brutal numbers a structural reset or a severe cyclical slump? We argue both sides with data on jobs, wages, footfall, discounts, online share, and consumer psychology, and find common ground on...