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What's Keeping Retail CEOs Awake at Night in 2026? | World Retail Signals · The Retail Podcast

• 0:21
  Hello and welcome back to the Retail Podcast.
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  Now. Actually it's not the Retail
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  Podcast. This new show that we're going
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  to be launching with the fantastic World Retail Congress
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  and we'll meet Ian in one second, is a global look, World
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  Retail Signals, where we take a look at the top narrative from
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  retail across the globe, but more from an executive
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  perspective, homing in on what leaders across the world are
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  focusing in on the challenges that they're facing, what's
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  interesting for them. But this is a prelude episode
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  where we take a look behind world we tell Congress itself,
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  which if hopefully, if you know what your tickets, you're gonna
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  get your ticket soon. It's happening in April in
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  Berlin and I'm very fortunate to be joined by my Co host of World
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  Retail Signals, Ian, who is absolutely no stranger to me,
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  dear. And and we'll, we'll get Ian.
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  Why don't you actually, before we sort of dive into World
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  Retail Congress and what you do there, can you just tell us a
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  little bit about yourself? Yeah, sure.
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  Hi, Alex. Great to be here and really
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  looking forward to collaborating with you going forward.
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  So, yes, I'm the founder and chair of the World Retail
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  Congress, but I've prior to that, I've have spent pretty
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  much a lifetime working lifetime in retail, not as a retailer,
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  but as a retail journalist primarily and, and commentator
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  on, on retail based in the UKI was editor of Retail Week in the
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  UK and then looked after a portfolio of conferences and
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  exhibitions, all in the retail space and magazines as they then
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  were printed magazines. And yeah.
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  And, and really from that in the early 2000s developed the idea
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  for the World Retail Congress. Based on what we could see in
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  this was in Retail Week, the, the industry was really
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  internationalising, I guess one of the last big industries to
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  internationalise in a way behind pharmaceutical and automotive.
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  And of course that was really, really interesting to us from a
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  content point of view, but also what, what could that mean?
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  And was their interest in from retailers around the world in
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  being part of something, you know, and could it be a
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  magazine? And where we arrived at was that
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  there really was interesting coming together, meeting at an
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  event. Yes, there's lots of conferences
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  and the number of conferences continue to, to grow in all
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  sorts of sectors and markets. But but people really encouraged
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  us to create a high end event that brought together the
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  affected the leaders. And then we always think when
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  we're bringing together the programme for the Congress each
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  year that we, we think about CEO's primarily because you
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  know, the the people that are leading retail businesses of
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  whatever sector in whatever part of the world.
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  You know, the, the concept was to create an event that I
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  brought them together, but to really focus on each year.
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  What, what are the things that are keeping them awake at night?
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  What, what's, what could they benefit from learning from each
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  other, from experts from around the world and, and people
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  externally outside of the retail industry who have a vested
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  interest in and voice in impacting on and helping shape
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  retailing. So that's, you know, really what
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  we created. And I feel like it's sort of
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  dipped into all those years of experience that went before to
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  bring this, this to life. And here we are, nearly nearly
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  20 years on from when we launched it.
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  Yeah. I mean, that's an incredible
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  origin story. Well, I'm really curious as
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  someone who is experienced in the industry, you've seen it
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  come, you've seen them come, you see them go.
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  What's the one thing that stood out for you over the 20 years in
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  terms of the transforming world of executives within retail?
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  Yeah, it's been quite a 20 years.
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  When we launched in all honesty the impetus was around that
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  internationalisation, you know businesses big and small were
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  and brands were moving cross-border and into markets.
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  But literally within 12 months of launching the Congress, we
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  had the, the big financial crash.
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  And at the same time we had in, you know, various terminology
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  affected what we know as e-commerce was really starting
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  to have its impact. And, and on, on it, on it goes
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  in terms of the, the, the challenges that have faced
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  retail and COVID obviously been the most dramatic.
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  But I think I guess in answer to your question, the thing that
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  strikes me through all of those near 20 years, and if I think
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  back beyond launching the World Retail Congress, that there's an
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  incredible resilience around retail and retailers and
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  retailing. And no matter how big the
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  challenges are. And we're certainly as an
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  industry facing probably some of the most enormous challenges
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  today in terms of on, on several fronts.
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  And yes, you can get really dragged down by the sort of the
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  almost dystopian sense of the what, how big those challenges
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  are. But but it's, it is remarkable,
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  I always feel this, that retailers primary, primary aim
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  is how do we get through this? How do we find a way through
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  this? What does this mean?
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  How can we adapt? What is, you know, how can we
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  get through to the the customer? How do we find a new way?
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  And you know, when I, when I think back, you know, and, and
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  I'm, I don't always like thinking back.
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  It's important to think forward, but it's just really striking to
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  me and I've had so many conversations as we get closer
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  to this year's Congress. And you know, here we are only
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  in month 3 of 2026 and you couldn't quite make it up
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  really. But, but somehow retailers are
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  still battling through to find a way through it and to make
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  things work. And that's, you know, the, the
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  short term geopolitical challenges and economic
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  challenges. And that's without talking about
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  the way the industry is being reshaped by technology.
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  So, and, and that, that for me, I guess in answer to your
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  question, is the my big takeaway.
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  And I, I, I feel, I feel that's even more front of mind for me
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  in listening to the conversations than ever before.
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  It's it's that sense of resilience.
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  Yeah, no, I love it. Resilience is, is, is, is a good
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  one because you, you see that in terms of who survived.
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  I've seen several charts, you know, in terms of who was the
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  top retailer 10 years ago and who is in that top 10 still now
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  and who's dropped out and how they're transforming.
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  You know, a classic example is Walmart.
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  Our Walmart is continued to keep pushing and pushing and adopting
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  technology and optic change. And what's exciting for me and
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  the hence why I don't think that we're, there's a couple of, you
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  know, globally, there's some things happening that there is
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  some negativity, but it's a re pivoting of who's going to be
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  the winners and losers of the future.
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  And one of the biggest themes is AI.
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  Obviously that's going to be just like e-commerce in 20,000
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  is now something like 18 to 20% of your business and and you
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  know it's an interesting look at it a genetic and AI is that next
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  wave in e-commerce yeah bringing it on to the Congress in terms
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  of I mean I Love Actually it's always a delight because it's
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  like oh where is it gonna be this year I've been to Paris,
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  I've been to London I've been to Rome and this year is in Berlin
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  and I don't know what was the thinking why Germany why Berlin
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  not there's anything wrong with it I'm.
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  Not, not at all. We have been in Berlin before,
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  but not since 2011. So that, that was one factor.
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  It's that when, you know, we look at where we know where we
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  haven't been before or where we should return to.
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  So a, that was one factor. And so often we haven't been to
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  Germany since then. And you know, Berlin is, is a
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  fascinating city. I think it's, it stands out
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  because since 2011 it has really built reputation as being a tech
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  hub, one of Europe's or even the world's sort of key tech hubs,
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  which is interesting. The very nature of the city,
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  it's got a dynamism about it and the creativity and emphasis on
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  creativity. And you know, Zolando, of
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  course, famously is born and resides in, in Berlin and other
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  other retail businesses like HelloFresh, you know, they've
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  all come out as that incubator of technology in, in Berlin.
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  And, you know, retail is, you know, quite unique, you know,
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  heavy emphasis on sort of newer, smaller, independent businesses.
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  But that's good. That's all part of the mix.
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  That's where new ideas come from.
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  And, and the thing that is important, it's, you know, it's,
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  you know, accessible, a great city to go to, makes attractive.
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  You know, we have a model, as you suggested that we move every
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  year, which, yeah, it's quite a challenge for us.
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  There's organisers, but it is part of the dynamism of retail.
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  You know, our, our audience is kind of demanding it in a way
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  they, you know, where's it going to be next year?
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  There's a real excitement. We announced when we were in
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  London last year, we're in announced that this year is
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  going to be in Berlin. And there was, I well, remember
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  there was a big cheer went up from the from the audience
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  because people were excited about that.
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  And everyone was, I love leaving, leaving London saying
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  see you in Berlin. A few tick boxes we have to get
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  right. But we're really excited about
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  return to Berlin. Me too.
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  OK. So I want you to cast your mind
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  and think about you are a young executive and a retailer right
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  now. You're not quite CEO.
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  Maybe you're as part of the, the, the, the team, right?
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  You're a young, young aspiring exec that will be, you know,
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  you're on that fast track. What do you think the conference
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  has for someone in that sort of role before we get to what?
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  Because I used to always say it's where CEO's come to learn,
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  right? Yeah.
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  You'll meet a CEO and you'll exchange some stuff and you'll
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  learn some stuff. Yeah.
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  But yeah. What do you think?
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  And specifically, let's focus on this year and like the feeds
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  that you're bringing in, what's the thing that you would be?
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  Yeah. What would be in store for that?
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  That person, yeah, it's funny. We've, we've, we take that group
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  really seriously. I mean, we launched about 3
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  years ago what we call an accelerator programme for those
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  people at that level who aren't on the main board yet, but but
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  pretty much soon will be. And because we and we've had
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  great feedback from them. So we have a sort of discreet
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  programme within the programme for them.
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  But but more than that, they, they're allowed to be go to any
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  any session that the Congress and the feedback we get and what
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  our sense was that well, for anyone that comes really, it's
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  that sense. You can you really do immerse
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  yourself in this melting pot of all these retailers from all
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  over the world, no matter what sector.
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  And you know, I've been lucky enough to work in in retail
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  across all sectors. And it's always strikes me the,
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  the business of retail is the kind of the same no matter what
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  sector you're in, what products you sell, what geography.
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  Of course there's subtle differences and but but what
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  makes retail tick is really important.
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  So you, you know, any retailer, particularly sort of people that
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  aren't on that sort of main board level or on to CEO yet,
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  that opportunity to listen to and be part of that buzz.
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  And, and you know, everyone is really open at the Congress and
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  you you'd the chance to talk to retailers in different sectors,
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  though you, you can learn so much from experiences.
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  If you know, you in any retail business will undoubtedly be
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  struggling with so many challenges, But to hear that
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  there's someone else going through the same thing, although
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  whether ahead of you, you can learn from that is, is one
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  thing. We also think that, you know,
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  making that step up is, is kind of quite a big step.
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  You know, these are quite senior people anyway, they're running,
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  you know, big teams and departments, but but to then
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  move to the next level, you know, where you're on a board or
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  an executive board, you know, you've suddenly got to take a
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  holistic view of and have a view on how the whole business runs.
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  And so being immersed in the Congress is, is, is, is part of
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  that, that, that sense of hearing from so many people.
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  And again, that opportunity to to share and to talk to and,
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  and, and learn from, learn from each other is, is so important.
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  And you know, you, you people will say they love coming to the
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  Congress because you feel like you're part of this retail
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  community. You know, it's, you know, from
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  all over the world. And you know, people are, you
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  know, what I said about retail is restless and dynamic.
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  It's that everyone is hungry for, you know, to learn from
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  each other. And you know, people do, you
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  know, literally share, you know, how how things have been and you
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  know, what they've learnt and things that have worked, things
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  that haven't worked. And it's, you know, it's, you
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  know, 3 days of a deep dive that you know, it's hard to get
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  anywhere else really. And I think, you know, lucky
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  enough that people of the level that you've described, Alex, you
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  know, they, they, they come back and they, you know, they come
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  back as CE OS in cases. So it's that's fun.
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  Well, I didn't know. You had an accelerated
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  programme, so that's good. I knew the CEO thing.
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  So just focusing on the show sort of bringing us to a a wrap
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  and a close yes. Tell me what again, just put
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  you're you're you know, you're ACEO, you're you're on your
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  flight back out of Berlin. What what, what what's going to
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  be in my head? What am I going to be thinking
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  about as you're? Leaving Berlin, you mean?
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  Yeah, yeah, you know, No, it's and you it's a great question
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  because that's how I always think.
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  Like what do we want people to leave this event with and, or,
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  or a session with? And I mean our, our, our theme
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  for this year is retails road map to 2030.
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  We, we deliberately want people to think and 2030 is less than
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  five years away already, but it's, it's a good round Number
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  to, to focus on because boy, there are some short term
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  challenges. But if you don't think about
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  where the road map is taking us and if you're not prepared for
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  that, you, you could seriously be in big trouble as a business
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  because there's the future is hurtling at US ever faster.
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  And your competitors absolutely are, you know, making sure that
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  they're on on the right journey and, and on that path.
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  So, so we would want and hope people to feel like they've had
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  a vision of where retail is going.
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  I mean, it's a series of scenarios.
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  That's the best anyone, even the best experts say.
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  We know we can't tell you exactly what 2030 will look
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  like, but being forewarned is forearmed.
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  If you if you have a sense of what those different scenarios
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  facing retail could be, you know, you need to be prepared
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  for those. And we hope people go back to
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  their businesses certainly with a better sense of that and a
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  sense of urgency about what needs to be done today also help
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  in that short term. You know, everyone is battling
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  for those like for like sales and, you know, we're seeing
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  inflation rising again and consumer confidence weakening
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  because of what's happening in the world, you know, but there's
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  still a way through through that for retail to to sharpen up and
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  about being at the Congress, you know, they will learn from some
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  great examples of what people are doing to to pivot to to
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  change, to find new ways. So I think that's really
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  important. So we we hope people they feel
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  leave feeling inspired and void up by we're all in this
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  together. You know what, what ideas, you
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  know, can we take from it? That's a real practical
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  examples, some of them proven because retailers will have
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  shared we did this. That didn't work, but this
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  worked. And and I know from previous
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  years that is so powerful. And, you know, retailers go back
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  to their businesses, some actually phone their businesses
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  from the Congress to say we need to do this and what are we doing
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  about that? So well, yeah, what are we
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  doing, I think. That was more of the one or two
• 15:00
  ACO. What the hell are we doing about
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  this? Exactly.
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  Yes, yes, that's. Fantastic.
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  Well, it's a lovely note to finish on.
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  As I said, this is the prelude to us doing World Retail
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  Signals, which will kick off hopefully next week based on all
• 15:14
  of our Diaries coordinating and the stars aligning.
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  But Ian, thank you so much for taking the time to to join us on
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  today's show and I look forward to seeing you on our weekly look
• 15:25
  at global retail. My pleasure.
• 15:27
  And it's been great to be here, Alex, looking forward to it.