Can "soft" skills really deliver hard numbers?

In this episode of Retail Disrupted, Natalie Berg sits down with Matt Close, a 30-year Unilever veteran who proved that building a "happiness culture" isn't just nice to have—it's a massive growth engine.

Matt served on Unilever's Executive Committee and led the €8B Global Ice Cream business for 8 years. During his tenure, he added €3B in growth by taking an end-to-end approach to transforming value creation. His secret weapon? Building what he calls a 'happiness company'.

This episode is brought to you by The Richmond Retail & eCommerce Directors' Forum, where Matt will be hosting a session this April on how to create a people-first culture.

Retailers: register your interest here: https://www.richmondevents.com/contact/request?Item=DelegateInvite&EventCode=RET26

IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE:

• The literal business case for happiness: How it drives risk-taking and entrepreneurship.
• Why culture matters just as much in the factory as it does in the boardroom.
• Quick commerce and other forces reshaping the ice cream category
• Leadership lessons from 3 decades at one of Britain's biggest listed companies.

Listen here or head over to watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4ZfjADu1DxY?si=IWEGChY62MAiRxBI

AI is no longer hype in retail - it's becoming table stakes.

In this episode of Retail Disrupted, we're joined by senior retail and data leaders shaping the future of commerce: Keyur Govande (Chief Technology Officer at Depop), Daniel Bos (Senior Director of Data, Analytics & AI at Just Eat Takeaway.com), and Daniel Chasle (Chief Data Officer at New Look).

Together, we unpack how AI is transforming customer experience through hyper-personalization, real-time relevance, and smarter commerce journeys—from food delivery micro-moments to fashion discovery and the rise of agentic AI.

This is a practical, honest conversation about what's actually working, what's overhyped, and how retailers can turn AI investment into real customer value and ROI.

🎧 Expect insights on: personalization vs relevance, AI-powered discovery, legacy tech challenges, agentic commerce, and what the next wave of retail disruption really looks like.

Recorded live on stage at London Tech Week's AI in Retail Event.

How does an iconic luxury beauty group stay relevant in an AI-powered world?

Recorded live on stage at London Tech Week's AI in Retail Event in London, this episode of Retail Disrupted features Pernilla Nyberg, SVP & General Manager UK & Ireland at The Estée Lauder Companies. Pernilla shares how Estée Lauder is thoughtfully using AI and data to support creativity, innovation, and personalization across luxury beauty — from trend intelligence and product development to fragrance, digital experiences, and in-store service.

A candid conversation on balancing technology with craftsmanship, brand equity, and high-touch human experience in prestige beauty.

International expansion isn't about copy-and-paste growth — it's about cultural intelligence.

In this episode of Retail Disrupted, Natalie Berg is joined by CMOs and leading global brand experts Katherine Melchior Ray and Nataly Kelly to explore why so many global brands fail — and what they should do differently to succeed across borders.

From luxury retail and hospitality to beauty, fashion, and FMCG, this conversation unpacks real-world examples (Sephora, Walmart, Target, Louis Vuitton, Apple, Uniqlo) as covered in Katherine and Nataly's book: Brand Global, Adapt Local.

If you're responsible for brand, retail, marketing, or international growth — this episode is for you.

In this episode of Retail Disrupted, Natalie Berg shares her 2026 outlook and insights from the KPMG Retail Think Tank. She is then joined by international logistics expert Becky Lombardo to unpack how retailers can build resilient, flexible, and profitable supply chains in an increasingly unpredictable world.

Becky shares practical insights on global trade disruption, nearshoring, returns, AI in logistics, sustainability, and why doing less - not more - may be the smartest strategy for retail leaders in 2026.

🎙️ Ideal for: retail executives, e-commerce leaders, supply chain professionals, brand founders, and investors.

00:00 – Introduction to Retail Disrupted

00:28 – Retail trends and challenges shaping 2026

02:48 – Geopolitical risk, weak demand & supply chain pressure

05:10 – AI, personalization & the risk of cognitive complacency

07:05 – Meet Becky Lombardo: global logistics & supply chain expert

08:25 – Why unpredictability is the biggest threat to retail planning

09:45 – Tariffs, geopolitics & global trade uncertainty

10:35 – Sourcing risk, China dependency & supply chain blind spots

12:47 – Nearshoring, profitability & smarter sourcing strategies

14:58 – Doing more with less: cutting complexity in supply chains

16:54 – What luxury retailers get right about customer experience

18:58 – Customer expectations vs speed, service & reliability

20:57 – Logistics, fulfilment & treating every customer like a VIP

23:02 – AI in logistics: efficiency vs human touch

24:39 – Returns, serial returners & charging for returns

26:49 – Sustainability, cost control & smarter supply chains

29:00 – Fixing fit, reducing fashion returns & new technology

31:07 – Direct-to-consumer vs wholesale: hidden operational costs

33:19 – Final advice for brands navigating retail disruption

34:10 – Where to find Becky Lombardo & closing remarks

🔗 KPMG Retail Think Tank: 2026 Outlook (LinkedIn post)

🔗 More about Becky and Londra Consulting

Barcodes are the backbone of global trade. GS1 barcodes are scanned more than 10 billion times a day, helping over two million organisations worldwide identify, describe, and track products across the global economy.

But while the barcode has existed for more than 50 years - largely unchanged - the needs of retail, brands, and consumers have evolved dramatically.

In the final episode of Retail Disrupted for 2025, Natalie Berg is joined by Kerry Morrison, Head of Retail and Marketplaces at GS1 UK, to explore the next generation of barcodes: QR codes powered by GS1. This new standard will do everything the traditional barcode does - and far more - by combining two of the greatest inventions of all time: the barcode and the internet.

From working harder in supply chains with richer data (including batch and lot numbers to support recalls), to enabling direct consumer engagement via product packaging, these QR codes are unlocking powerful new opportunities for revenue growth, sustainability, accessibility, and first-party consumer data.

Rice is the one of the most consumed foods in the world, but few people realise it's also a major driver of climate change. In fact, beef is the only food responsible for higher global emissions. In this episode of Retail Disrupted, Natalie Berg sits down with Fergus O'Sullivan, Founder of Nice Rice, to unpack the problems with traditional rice farming and why it's long overdue for disruption.

Fergus shares his unconventional leap from private equity into food entrepreneurship and explains how sustainable rice farming can dramatically reduce methane emissions while saving huge amounts of water. He also reveals why treating rice as a commodity has held back both quality and sustainability - and what happens when you start to rethink one of the world's oldest food categories.

Discover how The Elf on the Shelf transformed from a beloved family tradition into a multi-platform global holiday empire. In this episode of Retail Disrupted, Natalie Berg sits down with Christa Pitts, co-CEO and founder of The Lumistella Company and creator of The Elf on the Shelf, to explore the power of nostalgia, emotional connection, holiday marketing trends, and building authentic brands in an increasingly digital world.

Expect insights on storytelling, community-driven creativity, retail evolution, and what it takes to create a tradition that inspires millions.

Today's episode is brought to you by Manhattan Associates, the global leader in supply chain and unified commerce.

We're getting techie on this episode of Retail Disrupted! Natalie Berg sits down with Keith Dipple of Manhattan Associates to dive into the nuts and bolts of modern retail technology. From unified commerce architecture to versionless POS, real-time inventory visibility, and AI-enabled fulfillment, we unpack the systems and strategies powering seamless shopping experiences.

Explore how retailers can tackle operational complexity, optimize the customer experience, and prepare for 2026 retail tech trends. Packed with insights, practical takeaways, and a closer look at the tech behind the buzz, this episode is for anyone looking to stay ahead in retail transformation.

Argos has undergone one of the most visible transformations – from being a catalogue retailer to approximately 80% of sales now coming through digital channels. Heni Hazbay, Marketing Director at Argos, joins us for a candid look at how the Sainsbury's owned business is evolving for a digital-first world.

Tune in to hear all about its 'More Argos, more often' strategy. Heni tells us how Argos is sharpening its brand positioning in an increasingly competitive market, modernising the customer experience across channels, using data and AI to simplify journeys and personalise at scale, and rethinking loyalty through the power of Nectar. Heni brings a fascinating perspective on marketing at scale, creativity, leadership and what it takes to modernise the UK's #1 click & collect retailer.