September isn’t just the end of summer. It’s retail’s reset button. In this episode, I, Clare Bailey, The Retail Champion, am talking you through why September is the real starting gun for quarter four.

From the back-to-uni boom to freshers’ week loyalty grabs, and Halloween’s shaky baskets, the signs are everywhere: heritage alone won’t protect the High Street.

Woolworths, Debenhams, Claire’s Accessories, River Island — all proof that nostalgia can’t compete with fast-moving consumer behaviour.

I'll break down the mood, the numbers, and the brutal truth: if you’re not ruthlessly relevant, quarter four will eat you alive.