Understanding people. Inspiring change. Shaping the future of retail.

The Retail Trust’s seventh annual Leaders’ Summit brings together senior retail leaders for a day of insight, debate and practical solutions to some of the biggest workplace challenges facing the sector today.

As workforce expectations evolve, technology transforms the way we work and pressure continues to grow on managers and leaders, one question sits at the heart of the agenda: what does it take to create workplaces where people can thrive, perform and stay?

From what makes a genuinely good day at work to the science behind behaviour change, we’ll explore the ideas reshaping today’s workplace through fresh data, expert insight and honest conversations. Along the way, we’ll tackle some of retail’s biggest leadership challenges, examine what it means to stay human in an age of AI and ask what the next chapter of progress at work should look like. Delivering the insight behind better workplaces and the ideas shaping what’s next.

9:00 – 9:45

Breakfast briefing: the hidden cost of retail crime

Retail crime is often measured in stolen stock and financial loss. But the bigger cost may be its lasting impact on the wellbeing, confidence and retention of retail colleagues.

Pre-registration and invite only, limited places available. If you are interested in attending this session, please contact Maria Reed.

10:15 – 10:45

Leadership address  

A movement, not a moment: the next chapter of Let’s Respect Retail.

Be part of a powerful opening session as we reveal what’s next for one of retail’s most important industry-wide campaigns and invite leaders across the sector to help shape the future of respect in retail.

10:45 – 11:35

Panel and workshop

Happiness advantage: fix the shift, not the strategy

For years, workplace wellbeing has focused on reducing stress, burnout and disengagement. But what if the next challenge isn’t preventing bad days at work, but creating more good ones? This session explores what makes a genuinely good shift and why helping people experience more of them could transform how we think about workplace happiness. Based on findings from the Retail People Index, which highlight the importance of day-to-day experiences, manager relationships and job enjoyment in shaping wellbeing. This session will explore the following:

• Have organisations become too focused on reducing negatives, rather than creating positives?
• What makes a genuinely good shift, and how can retailers create more of them?
• How can retailers create moments of connection, accomplishment and meaning, even during demanding trading periods?
• What would change if creating good days at work became a leadership priority?

11:35 – 12:00

Break

12:00 – 12:25

Breakout rooms

Breakout sessions will run on a first come, first served basis.

The reset studio

Wellbeing overload: has wellbeing become too complicated?

From biohacking and sleep tracking to endless workplace wellbeing initiatives, we’re living in an age of optimisation. But are we actually any better at looking after ourselves?

Join Sunday Times bestselling author of Healthy Shouldn’t be this Hard, Sarah Ann Macklin, nutritionist and founder of the globally recognised health podcast Live Well Be Well, as she unpacks the rise of wellbeing culture, challenges some common assumptions and explores what genuinely helps people thrive. You’ll leave with fresh insights, practical takeaways and a clearer view of where leaders can make the biggest impact.

The campfire

The impossible job?

AI. Retention. Restructuring. Wellbeing. Skills shortages. Culture. Hear how to navigate constant change, bringing people with you and driving impact through some of today’s biggest workplace challenges.

The behaviour lab

The science behind what makes people change

Why does the same feedback land with one person but not another? Why do some employees embrace change while others resist it? Drawing on behavioural science and real-world experience, Cathal Quinlan will deliver an interactive session to explore why people think, act and respond the way they do, and what leaders can learn from the science of behaviour change.

12:35 – 13:05

Breakout rooms

Breakout sessions will run on a first come, first served basis.

The reset studio

Wellbeing overload: has wellbeing become too complicated?

From biohacking and sleep tracking to endless workplace wellbeing initiatives, we’re living in an age of optimisation. But are we actually any better at looking after ourselves?

Join Sunday Times bestselling author of Healthy Shouldn’t be this Hard, Sarah Ann Macklin, nutritionist and founder of the globally recognised health podcast Live Well Be Well, as she unpacks the rise of wellbeing culture, challenges some common assumptions and explores what genuinely helps people thrive. You’ll leave with fresh insights, practical takeaways and a clearer view of where leaders can make the biggest impact.

The campfire

The impossible job?

AI. Retention. Restructuring. Wellbeing. Skills shortages. Culture. Hear how to navigate constant change, bringing people with you and driving impact through some of today’s biggest workplace challenges.

The behaviour lab

The science behind what makes people change

Why does the same feedback land with one person but not another? Why do some employees embrace change while others resist it? Drawing on behavioural science and real-world experience, Cathal Quinlan will deliver an interactive session to explore why people think, act and respond the way they do, and what leaders can learn from the science of behaviour change.

13:05 – 14:15

Lunch

14:15 –14:45

Spotlight session

Fearlessly human: when tech gets smarter, what matters more?

AI is transforming the workplace at a pace few predicted. But while technology can automate tasks, analyse data and create content, it cannot replace the human qualities that inspire trust, build culture and bring out the best in people.

Drawing on the latest research into AI, leadership and the future of work, Petra Velzeboer will explore why the most successful organisations won’t be those that become more machine-like, but those that become more human. A thought-provoking and optimistic look at the skills, behaviours and leadership qualities that will matter most in the years ahead.

14:45 – 15:30

Panel discussion

The unfinished revolution. Women fought for change. What needs to change next?

For decades, women have fought for equal opportunities, parental rights and greater flexibility at work. But if fathers still face stigma around caring responsibilities, and many workplaces continue to see women as the default parent, have we really changed the system? Research suggests women still carry 71% of the cognitive labour in the home, while many fathers, particularly in non-management roles, feel unable to openly discuss family commitments or make full use of the flexibility available to them. If the next chapter of equality isn’t about opening more doors for women, what barriers still need to come down for men?

• Moving beyond flexibility: what real equality looks like.
• Why the ‘default parent’ assumption is holding progress back.
• How workplaces can help make active caregiving the norm, not the exception.

15:30 – 16:00

Finish the day with relaxed networking and light refreshments.

Together with

Thank you to every organisation who supports our event.