OVERVIEW
As UK retailers look ahead to 2026, the pressure on profit and productivity has rarely been greater.
The aftershocks of the chancellor’s Budget in November will be felt across the sector, with rising business rates following revaluation increasing fixed costs just as margins remain under strain. At the same time, frozen tax thresholds continue to erode real disposable income for consumers, tightening household budgets and intensifying competition for a smaller share of spend.
In this environment, growth will be harder to come by and inefficiency far more costly. Retail leaders will need to be laser-focused on how their businesses operate: from store productivity and supply chain resilience to smarter use of data, technology and labour.
This summit brings together senior retail leaders to confront these challenges head on – sharing practical insights, proven approaches and new ideas to unlock efficiency, protect profitability and build stronger, more resilient businesses for the years ahead.
08:30 am – 09:30 am | REGISTRATION & NETWORKING
09:30 am – 09:40 am | WELCOME & INTRO
Speaker: Sean Brierley, CEO, Retail Gazette
09:40 am – 09:50 am | EFFICIENCY CONNECT
Kicking-off the morning with 10 minutes for attendees to connect with their peers, discuss what they’d like to get from the day and report back.
09:50 am – 10:20 am | OPENING KEYNOTE
In this powerful opening session, Retail Gazette sits down with Alibaba Managing Director France Michelle Lau to talk about the future of retail efficiency.
Speaker: Michelle Lau, Managing Director, France, Alibaba
10:20 am – 10:30 am | TAKE 10: WORD CLOUD & DISCUSSION
Question: Where do you see the greatest opportunity to drive efficiency in your business
Share, benchmark and break down your thoughts with those in the room with you. Where should retail be investing for long-term growth?
10:35 am – 10:55 am | IDEAS PODIUM – ROUND 1
Curated 20-minute insights into innovative tech and partnership opportunities that can boost your retail efficiency
STREAM 1 – Data, tech and the customer
In this interactive session, a leading retail industry supplier presents how their solution can help retailers better harness data and tech to drive CX.
Expect live retail case studies and an interactive exchange of ideas and experiences.
STREAM 2 – Operations, supply chain & logistics
In this interactive session, a leading retail industry supplier presents how their solution can help retailers drive better outcomes with a more efficient operation.
Expect live retail case studies and an interactive exchange of ideas and experiences.
Host: Kieran Howells, Head of Commercial Content, Retail Gazette
Speaker: Marcin Grzeslo, Sourcing PMO Director, Kingfisher
10:55 am – 11:30 am | NETWORKING & REFRESHMENTS
11:30 am – 11:55 am | IN CONVERSATION WITH
In this session, Retail Gazette sits down with BP VP Mobility & Convenience Retail UK Jo Hayward and a leading supplier to the industry to talk about the future of retail efficiency.
Speaker: Jo Hayward, VP Mobility & Convenience Retail UK, BP
11:55 am – 12:05 pm | TAKE 10: AUDIENCE POLL & DISCUSSION
Question: How would you rate your organisation in terms of its current AI adoption from 1 to 10?
(1 = no current investment / 10 = used across multiple areas and already displaying results)
Share, benchmark and break down your thoughts with those in the room with you.
12:05 pm – 12:35 pm | PANEL DISCUSSION
One bold step for retail: How AI is transforming efficiency
There is a lot of content out there on AI – but just focusing on long-term vision won’t help retailers fight fires today.
What they need are practical insights into how AI’s various solutions are solving business critical issues right now.
In this panel session, a selection of the UK’s leading retailers detail how their AI strategy is enabling them to be more efficient, more creative, and more customer-focused.
In this thought-provoking and practical session, they will detail:
- How they determined priorities, allocated resources and built internal capabilities to go beyond pilot projects
- The business functions where AI has been deployed – and the outcomes in each
- AI ambitions – from crafting agent ready organisations to seamless operations, what the next wave of AI looks like and how they are preparing for it
Host: James Knowles, Programme Director, Retail Gazette
Speakers:
- Alex Salden, Managing Director, The Sofa Delivery Company
- Daniel Hulme, CEO, Satalia
- Philipp Mensch, COO, Luca Faloni
- Simon Ellis, Head of AI Transformation and Enterprise Architecture, Pets at Home
12:40 pm – 1:00 pm | IDEAS PODIUM – ROUND 2
Curated 20-minute insights into innovative tech and partnership opportunities that can boost your retail efficiency
STREAM 1 – Data, tech and the customer
In this interactive session, a leading retail industry supplier presents how their solution can help retailers better harness data and tech to drive CX.
Expect live retail case studies and an interactive exchange of ideas and experiences.
STREAM 2 – Operations, supply chain & logistics
In this interactive session, a leading retail industry supplier presents how their solution can help retailers drive better outcomes with a more efficient operation.
Expect live retail case studies and an interactive exchange of ideas and experiences.
Host: Kieran Howells, Head of Commercial Content, Retail Gazette
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | LUNCH & REFRESHMENTS
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | SPONSORED LUNCH
An interactive workshop lunch.
1.00 pm – 2.00 pm | SPONSORED LUNCH
An interactive workshop lunch, brought to you by Retail Gazette and Quinyx.
Host: Kieran Howells, head of commercial content, Retail Gazette
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm | PANEL DISCUSSION
Customer strategy 101: Innovating CX
Innovation and investment are the keys that unlock growth and drive profit. They also help retailers differentiate and elevate their offer, boosting customer lifetime value and propelling customer acquisition.
However, in a tough market where budgets are already creaking under the strain, backing the right investments is crucial to remain efficient.
So, how do you spot them?
In this session Retail Gazette interviews a panel of leading retailers and experts, to discuss how they are creating a market-leading customer proposition.
They will cover:
- Who their customer is and how their wants and needs are developing
- How this customer obsession is driving their innovation and investment strategy
- The key tech investments they have activated and what the results have been
- How they achieved cross-function support
- What they are forecasting for the future of CX
Host: James Knowles, Programme Director, Retail Gazette
Speakers:
- Pete Chong, Global Head of Retail, Just Eat Takeaway
- Muktar Mahama, Head of Product, The Very Group
- Asif Aziz, Retail Director, EE
2:30 pm – 2:40 pm | POWER-TALK
Yonder Consulting presentation
Speaker: Tom Wormald, Managing Partner, Yonder Consulting
2:45 pm – 3:05 pm |IDEAS PODIUM – ROUND 3
Curated 20-minute insights into innovative tech and partnership opportunities that can boost your retail efficiency
STREAM 1 – Data, tech and the customer
In this interactive session, a leading retail industry supplier presents how their solution can help retailers better harness data and tech to drive CX.
Expect live retail case studies and an interactive exchange of ideas and experiences.
STREAM 2 – Operations, supply chain & logistics
In this interactive session, a leading retail industry supplier presents how their solution can help retailers drive better outcomes with a more efficient operation.
Expect live retail case studies and an interactive exchange of ideas and experiences.
Host: Kieran Howells, Head of Commercial Content, Retail Gazette
Speakers:
- Christian Jermyn, Director of ESG, Seasalt Cornwall
3:05 pm – 3:35 pm | NETWORKING & REFRESHMENTS
3:35 pm – 4:05 pm | PANEL DISCUSSION
People power: Optimising the retail workforce to unlock productivity
Behind every great retailer is an exceptional team – and happy teams, where staff feel valued, motivated and there is the right work life balance – drive better outcomes.
To achieve this forward-facing culture, retailers need to find smarter ways of working.
In this session a panel of retailers and a leading resourcing tech provider will discuss how to drive greater value from retail’s greatest asset by:
- Redesigning roles and opening up new opportunities for retails changing needs
- The efficiency wins that come from using smart tools such as data-led scheduling and digitised task prioritisation
- The power of virtual comms, to drive culture, training and development
- Using AI to reduce low-value tasks to free colleagues up to focus on more creative, high-value activities
Host: Kieran Howells, Head of Commercial Content, Retail Gazette
Speakers:
- Quinyx
- Corinne Facey, Managing Director, Reserved
- Chris Finch, Head of Retail, White Stuff
4:05 pm – 4:45 pm | CLOSING SESSION – IN CONVERSATION WITH
Brave new world: strategising for retail’s next phase
The day’s closing session focuses squarely on the future.
Lightspeed changes in the way consumers shop, coupled with dramatic advances in technology, against a backdrop of constant volatility, mean brave decisions are needed to meet new challenges and exploit new opportunities.
Retail Gazette sits down with a leading retailer to find out how they are getting their business ready for retail’s new reality, and a go-to industry partner to discuss the future of efficient retail.
They will cover:
- The consumer and tech developments propelling innovation
- How to remain agile, drive efficiency, and bring teams with you
- What the strategic pillars should be for a future-ready retailer
Host: Sean Brierley, CEO, Retail Gazette
4:45 pm – 4:55 pm | HOST’S CLOSING COMMENTS
Speaker: Sean Brierley, CEO, Retail Gazette
4:55 pm – 5:00 pm | JOIN US FOR DRINKS
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