The Retail Exchange podcast

In this latest episode of The Retail Exchange podcast, Karl McKeever and Mark Faithfull host a special edition, reporting from World Retail Congress 2022 in Rome. In case the World Retail Congress is not on your radar, there are few more significant gatherings of the industry. The flagship retail event returned after an enforced two-year break, due to the pandemic – a time of unprecedented turbule...

In this episode, host Mark Faithfull talks wellbeing, a subject that has come increasingly to the forefront of society and retail is consciousness following events of the last two years. Employee's personal health and well being issues do not stop at the store office entrance. So what can retailers do to be well placed to deliver on the need for greater employee wellbeing? We sit down with Claire...

In the second of our two-part special exploring innovation in digital signage technology, we come from the amazing space that is Samsung KX, in Coal Drops Yard London, to talk to senior retail industry professionals who know a thing or two about what it takes to create a blueprint for digital signage success, for anyone wanting to think big and do better. We’re joined by a stellar panel of guests...

In the first of a two-part special, we bring you insight and opinion from senior retail industry professionals on how technology is shaping retail’s future. The way we shop and digest information may have changed during the last two years, thanks to the pandemic, but as consumers continue to return to physical spaces, it’s never been more important for businesses to navigate strategies and decisio...

Rising demand for ethical products is also seeing a rise in innovative entrepreneurs and businesses who are going above and beyond to balance purpose and profit. Host Karl McKeever sits down with three such companies about how to design and source more sustainably, and explore how creating sustainable products has been integral to their own journey from seed to full bloom. Featuring FYG founder De...

In this episode of The Interview series, host Karl McKeever sits down with Little Moons CEO and co-founder Vivien Wong. Vivien Wong and her brother Howard can thank a random TikTok video for delivering a huge boost in demand for Little Moons, their brand of frozen mochi balls. As children growing up in their parents’ bakery in London, Vivien (and her brother Howard), were surrounded by a passion f...

In this episode of The Interview series, recorded at Spring Fair 2022 , host Mark Faithfull sits down with Paul Sopher, co-founder of gourmet popcorn brand Joe & Seph's. He shares the intriguing story of how a trip to the US led to the transformation of the UK popcorn category, his experience of life in a fast-growing family business, and advice for wannabe entrepreneurs. From humble beginning...

In this episode of The Interview series, recorded at Spring Fair 2022 , host Karl McKeever is joined by British Independent Retailers Association CEO Andrew Goodacre and Jayne Weldon, ECommerce Manager of new BIRA-backed online trading platform Neartoo - launching this month, exclusively for indies. While The Retail Exchange’s Mark Faithfull talks to Claire Leigh, founder of award-w...

In this episode of The Interview series, host Karl McKeever is joined by Green & Black’s co-founder Jo Fairley as she shares her experience of founding a business during a recession and discusses the importance of staying true to her core belief that doing good for your people and the planet simply makes good business sense.

In this special episode, The Retail Exchange reports from Spring Fair at the NEC Birmingham, to bring you a review of the flagship four-day wholesale retail event. For those who have an eye on wholesale retail, Spring Fair has traditionally had a strong spot on their roster. Its physical presence may well have been on pause since 2020 but this year it's back, to claim the mantle of being Europe's...

In this episode of The Interview series, host Karl McKeever is joined by Mintel director of trends EMEA Simon Moriarty as we preview Spring Fair 2022. Forecasting where the retail industry will go next has always been a tricky business. Even more so during the last two years. Consumers today have more choice than ever over what they buy and where they shop, and which brands they want to associate...

In this latest episode of The Interview from The Exchange podcast, Karl McKeever sits down with Pets at Home chief people & culture officer Louise Stonier. In just two short years, the way we work has changed – and fast. But even before the crisis, she had her sights set on challenging the conventional narrative when it came to people, positivity, and productivity. Here she explains how the re...

In this latest episode of The Interview from The Exchange podcast, Karl McKeever sits down with BOXPARK founder Roger Wade and London Designer Outlet general manager Sue Shepherd. Talk of a pandemic-induced exodus from city living has been making headlines in the media. But the neighbourhood-building power of retail and hospitality shouldn’t be underestimated.    Now is the time for a re...

In this latest episode of The Retail Exchange podcast, Karl McKeever hosts a special edition from Retail Week Live 2021 in London. After months of enforced slumber, the retail world stretched its limbs and took a breath of fresh air in London earlier this month for the flagship UK event. As physical events made a welcome return to the industry calendar and the retail industry begins to reconnect,...

In this latest episode of The Retail Exchange podcast, Karl McKeever hosts a special edition from Retail Week Live 2021 in London. After months of enforced slumber, the retail world stretched its limbs and took a breath of fresh air in London earlier this month for the flagship UK event. As physical events made a welcome return to the industry calendar and the retail industry begins to reconnect,...

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 Tro...

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...

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 forwar...

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...

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 af...

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...

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, p...

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 resp...

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 cust...

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...