THE 2023 PROGRAMME

Do you know the difference between positive discrimination and positive action? The former can have a reputation for unfairness and creating tension, while the latter could be key to solving inequalit ...

When you ask most leaders, in retail and beyond, what drives them in their work, the most common answer is 'passion for what I do'. Finding belief in your work and believing you are making a differenc ...

Research from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation says that rental and resale could claim 23% of the global fashion industry by 2030 and create $700bn in revenue. At the same time, the repair industry is b ...

AI is not new to retail, getting it right to fit your business and maximising its benefits is no easy feat. In this session, we hear from retail leaders whose investments in AI have helped them manage ...

Strong company cultures with innovative, happy, engaged teams don't happen by accident. It comes from the top. In this session, chief executives debate candidly the reality of what it takes to create ...

Advancements in artificial intelligence have made the customer experience more accessible and human – but is your company prepared to deliver the experience customers now expect?  We’ll explore: How r ...

It may be a cliché, but it’s true: everything should start with the customer. For retailers looking to build or buy new IT capabilities, you can’t just jump to the solution and hope the technology wil ...

Gone are the days when diversity and inclusion was considered a strand of the HR department. Rightly so, it has become an integral part of many a retailer's culture and strategy. But how do you embed ...

Our judges will watch the world's most exciting start-ups pitch to be crowned Discovery's Start-up of the Year. Come and join them and be inspired by the most cutting-edge technologies and the minds behind them.

Our judges will watch the world's most exciting start-ups pitch to be crowned Discovery's Start-up of the Year. Come and join them and be inspired by the most cutting-edge technologies and the minds behind them.

Our judges will watch the world's most exciting start-ups pitch to be crowned Discovery's Start-up of the Year. Come and join them and be inspired by the most cutting-edge technologies and the minds behind them.

Our judges will watch the world's most exciting start-ups pitch to be crowned Discovery's Start-up of the Year. Come and join them and be inspired by the most cutting-edge technologies and the minds behind them.

Watch five innovative startups pitch their big ideas for more sustainable retail operations. Their solutions will be judged by leaders from Tesco, Boots, YUM, B&Q and Deliveroo, with one of them being nominated for the RWL Startup of the Year award.

Watch five innovative startups pitch their big idea for the future of fashion retail. Their solutions will be judged by leaders from Crew, Jigsaw, YNAP and Frasers, with one of them being nominated for the RWL Startup of the Year award.

Watch our five startup finalists pitch their solution to our panel of retail leaders, with the final three making it through to the main-stage where one will be crowed 'RWL Startup of the Year'.

Customers are crying out for truly engaging in-store experiences. ‘Phygital’ has been mooted for years with arguably limited progress. Could holograms change all that? We explore how holographic image ...

Join us to find out who the three finalist start-ups are, as voted for by our group of retail judges from across the two days of fast and furious pitching at the Discovery Zone. After the pitches, Discovery’s Start-Up of The Year 2023 will be crowned.

In June 2020, the image of Patrick Hutchinson carrying an anti-Black Lives Matter protester to safety in London went viral. This act of bravery and kindness sparked interest in his story and subsequently he wrote a book, Everyone Versus Racism: A Letter To My Children, in which he describes what it is to be a black man today while also outlining what needs to change to create a better world for generations to come.

Join us to hear his insight and learn how you can impact your own business and the wider world in the fight against racism.

We’ll explore:

• Patrick’s own vision for a more equitable and equal future
• How we can work together to achieve this
• Tangible actions employers can take to be anti-racist

When it comes to tech, getting the fundamentals right is crucial to achieve growth. It is important for retailers and brands to recognise when change is needed and why customers need to be at the hear ...

The “new normal” was an oft-repeated phrase during lockdown. How have customer expectations shifted post-pandemic? And what does that mean for the customer experience retailers now need to offer? We’l ...

Consumers don’t want to waste their time scrolling through pointless pop-ups, and investing in personalisation will make your customer’s journey all the sweeter. What are the technologies and strategi ...

When it comes to ensuring footfall, a positive in-store experience is three to 10 times more important than advertising and promotions. The challenge, therefore, is how do you ensure your frontline st ...

Open hiring is the concept that the first candidate to apply gets the job. This new approach to recruiting entry-level roles was taken on by The Body Shop, which has successfully hired some of its bes ...

Work in the retail sector is fast-paced, stimulating and dynamic, but it can also be stressful, pressured and, at times, unpredictable. Cate Sevilla has penned an entire book about the work experience ...

Physical stores need to be an extension of your brand; a space for customers to feel connected to your purpose and product, even if it's a showroom. But for the store to drive real value, it must be i ...

Join the BRC, retail leaders and Retail Week’s Future Leaders ambassador community for an off-the-record debate into the current state of D&I in the UK retail industry. We’ll explore: Is progress real ...

A closer look at families: who they are, what their priorities are, the challenges they are facing in 2023 and how retailers can cater for them today and in the future. We’ll explore: Insight into Ver ...

Trinny London has seen stratospheric growth since it launched in 2017 and is now one of Europe’s fastest-growing beauty brands with a truly international reach, shipping to 180 countries.

The brand has done an exceptional job of leveraging its community to harness the power of customer advocacy, creating a brand ecosystem that is community-led but has the power to grow. In this keynote, we’ll chat to Trinny London’s CMO to uncover its path to growth and the challenges it has faced along the way. 

We’ll explore:

• The four pillars every DTC business must stand by: entertaining, interesting, inspiring and educational 

• The importance of re-engaging existing customers through an authentic and meaningful community

• How to cultivate cross-departmental collaboration to give colleagues communication and visibility that contributes to sales growth

In recent years, mental health has been front of mind for many retailers in defining their people strategy. Not least because it has been proven that maintaining worker wellbeing helps positively impa ...

Work hard, set goals, stay motivated, find success, hustle. In principle, these ideals should pave the way for career fulfilment and happiness. But, for many people, this constant pressure to do more, ...

Company culture has been a hot topic for decades, but what does it really mean? Many theorists suggest it can be used to exclude people, for example “culture-fit” interviews have been mooted as the ep ...

The echo chamber. Surrounding yourself with 'yes men'. A team of clones and suck-ups. Call it what you like, if you are constantly consorting with people who agree with you and make you feel like a ge ...

The current cost-of-living crisis has changed how and where people shop and spend. Even for an industry acclimatised to unpredictability, the current levels of chaos are extraordinary. The question is ...

From launches to acquisitions, successful fundraising rounds and demises, the marketplace world continues to evolve at pace. Marketplaces are omnipresent, with McKinsey reporting that they will accoun ...

Bored of metaverse chat? Don't be. Let us cut through the noise. This isn't a digital pipe dream but a whole new world of opportunities. We hear from the experts on how the metaverse promises to chang ...

In a post-pandemic world, remote and hybrid work has become the norm and as a result colleagues are navigating new ways of collaborating and working as a team. This change can prove daunting for some ...

The most valuable shoppers feel part of something bigger than the product in their hands. In this new era of community building, brands need to interact authentically with their audience outside of se ...

Brand new to Retail Week LIVE 2023, we’re bringing to the stage a curated morning of reverse mentoring for retail’s most senior leaders. Think you know Gen Z? Think again. Think Gen Alpha is too young ...

As consumer spend becomes harder to win, search quality and recommendations in ecommerce are becoming more important than ever. So how can you stay ahead of the competition? In this session, we are jo ...

Lord Mark Price, founder of employee experience platform WorkL and former managing director of Waitrose, will explore the link between people, productivity and commercial performance through the lens ...

Collaboration is pivotal in driving more change, more quickly. We'll explore how brands with a collaborative mindset are benefiting the planet, their consumers and their profits. Hear about new partne ...

Covid changed customer behaviours for the long term and in some cases fast-tracked and even shifted the evolution of market trends. For hospitality, it changed the way people think, plan and appreciate the experience of dining, both at home and in a venue. In this session, we’ll hear from TGI Fridays CEO Julie McEwan on the challenges facing the casual dining industry and how she is leading the way to rebuild this iconic brand. 

We’ll explore:

• Keeping it fresh – staying relevant with the consumer through branding, experience and value exchange 
• Understanding your heritage – going back to your roots and reconnecting with your guests 
• The importance of brand loyalty and the value of experience – understanding the value of your existing guests while at the same time attracting new ones 

When it comes to payments, the industry has made huge strides, but we're a long way off from the 'frictionless' experience customers crave. With customer expectations constantly evolving, how can reta ...

Be the first to hear from the Retail Week analyst team as we launch our outlook and strategy update for the second half of 2023 into 2024. We will explore: The key trends shaping the sector across soc ...

Join your peers at the BRC's Climate Action Roadmap event at Retail Week Live 2023. Retail leaders will meet to discuss progress made on achieving net zero and share best practice across the industry. ...

Within the vast tech landscape, it can be difficult to decipher the right solution for your business. Join us to hear how retailers are using their in-store tech to create a more informed and engaged ...

The cost-of-living crisis is biting, war is raging and inflation is rocketing.There are question marks over just how high inflation will rise and how deep a recession is on the cards. In this session, ...

Retailers are facing tough trading conditions, and rising inflation and the looming global recession are impacting consumer confidence and spending. In these choppy economic waters, margins, efficienc ...

As retailers cope with the pressures of low economic growth and increasing inflation, as well as facing new challenges such as the huge reduction in consumer discretionary spending, it’s more importan ...

As a nation, we're much more aware of our collective responsibilities, but while most retailers have environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, many targets are set years into the future. That' ...

To increase brand loyalty, retailers must find new and innovative ways to capture shopper attention. Through Snapchat, retailers are transforming the shopping experience making it more personalised at ...

What consumer trends are bubbling to the surface? Are you ready for them? In this session, Elspeth is not just going to talk about the trends doing the rounds, she will also present how to embrace the ...

Retailers are turning to new and emerging technologies to create unique and memorable experiences for their customers, but one size doesn’t fit all. From frictionless commerce, to metaverse opportunit ...

What if you could take the positives from digitally native retailers - agility, adaptability and execution - and adopt these for traditionally store-led businesses? What if you thought like an online retailer with stores rather than a stores retailer with a website?

A pragmatic approach to omnichannel is more crucial than ever before, given most store-based sales now begin with digital interactions, as retail reaches a tipping point in digital penetration and influence. 

We'll explore: 

• How to blend the positives of digitally native retailers with the advantages of a store estate 
• Why, at a time when we’re all tightening our belts, smart investment in technology becomes a key differentiator  
• How to understand the true economic value of your retail estate, including the critical role ecommerce will play in securing the future of the traditional retail store

New research from Kantar Worldpanel tells us that one in five people are entering the metaverse, and the ramp-up of adoption will come more quickly than expected. Identifying the value of the metavers ...

The concept of reverse mentoring is simple: pair a senior leader with someone climbing the ladder and both gain a new perspective. But what does productive reverse mentoring really entail? In this ses ...

The world of retail tech continues to explode with new solutions and ways of thinking. AR, VR, Web3 – the innovations keep on coming. And there is no one better to cut through the noise than the peopl ...

A brand is what consumers tell each other it is, so how do brands retain their intended narrative? In this session, young consumers will discuss current needs and trends from a variety of perspectives ...

There’s been much discussion about collecting data around diversity and ticking boxes but labelling people, though often well-meaning, can ignore the subtleties of human experience. Enter the concept ...

A diverse working environment brings diversity of thought, greater creativity, better decision-making and more successful businesses. And that diversity extends to diversity of age, too. Younger gener ...

Merely selling to the next generations is not enough. More than ever before, young consumers want to feel part of something. In this session we hear from young retail entrepreneurs who have done just ...

According to McKinsey & Co, 65% of global GDP is under a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050. But with consumers having less disposable income and generally being more considerate in their purchas ...