Top 10 Award Entry Tips for Independent Retailers
How to Create a Retail Awards Submission Judges Remember.
Right now, independent retail is carrying an enormous amount of the emotional and economic weight on the high street. These businesses create identity, employment, community and local resilience while often competing...
AI in Retail: What Most Retailers Are Getting Wrong
AI in retail is everywhere right now.
From personalised recommendations to virtual try-on, we’re being told it’s transforming how customers shop and how businesses sell. But there’s a problem.
How to Build a Personal Brand in Business (Without Calling Yourself a Guru)
In this guide, I’ll explain how personal branding works in business, how industry experts build credibility over time, and the practical steps professionals can take to become recognised voices in their sector.
Why I Finally Invested in a Professional Brand Photoshoot (After Years of Avoiding It)
When my team first suggested I should do a professional brand photoshoot, my immediate reaction was simple.
“That’s ridiculous. What a waste of money.”
I wasn’t being difficult. I just didn’t see the point.
After all, I already had photos. My son is a semi-professional...
Understanding Gen Z Shoppers: A Wake-Up Call for Retail Leaders
Many of the people making the biggest strategic decisions in retail businesses today are Gen X or Baby Boomers. We built our careers and leadership instincts in a completely different consumer environment. Yet we are now responsible for designing strategies, experiences and...
Retail Trends 2026 for UK High Streets
If you want the unfiltered truth about the future of UK retail, you ask someone who’s been inside the boardrooms of Amazon, SumUp, Netflix, SAP and Accenture…
Someone who’s also stood on the shop floor helping indies survive the toughest years the high street has ever seen.
Retail Reckoning: Why We Started a Podcast, and Why You Should Listen
Clare Bailey has always believed in speaking up for what matters in retail. Not just for the sake of tradition or trend, but to cut through the noise and talk about what’s really going on behind the shopfronts, spreadsheets, and slogans.
And now, she’s doing it with a mic in...
Retail Secrets: Why Experiential Shopping is the Secret to Turning Browsers into Buyers
I might be on holiday… but if you know me, you know I never stop thinking about retail.
Right now, I’m in Óbidos, a small, cobbled town just north of Lisbon, Portugal and I’ve just walked into what I can only describe as the perfect retail experience, which is high praise...
Are We Now a Nation of Shoppers Rather Than Shopkeepers?
For generations, Britain was proud to call itself a nation of shopkeepers. We built high streets that were the beating heart of communities. We celebrated local business owners who knew our names, remembered our preferences, and often extended us credit when the purse strings...
Stop Buying Cheap – Start Buying Right: How to Choose Suppliers That Deliver
There’s a growing epidemic in business: the rise of the self-appointed expert.
They pop up everywhere — in retail consultancy, website design, marketing, HR — all with glossy websites, slick pitches, and promises that sound almost too good to be true. Spoiler alert: they...