RetailCraft - digital retail, ecommerce and brands - Retail Podcast

Tales of transformation in the studio today. First up a conversation with Guy Magrath, recently Chief Digital Officer at Electrocomponents PLC (better known in the UK as the owners of RS Components, purveyors os millions of plugs, bulbs, suppliers for makers and menders around the world).

Guy talks us through many years of change and progress at this global, complex business, culminating in his 5 steps that are very persuasive indeed.

Along the way we pay tribute to the makers of the world, and a moving example is that of Ben Ryan who set out to create a new type of prosthetic arm for his 10-day old son. You can read Ben's story here: https://uk.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=fortheinspired/customer-ambionics and see the video story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOBVuy2FxoA

Graham Wilson joins us from Sofology, the specialist sellers of Sofas. Selling sofas at the best of times can be a challenge, with lead times, checking colour and seating options, envisioning the sofas in your own home... Graham takes us through some of the digital innovations underway that are enhancing the selling and service propositions and giving the stores a dynamic role during the lockdown(s).

 

Our thanks to Chris for giving us so much time, and we'll pick up with him again post-Christmas to see how the peak-upon-peak of trading turned out.

 

Run time: 55 minutes

INFORMATION:

Guy Magrath: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-magrath-ned/ 

Graham Wilson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-wilson-b854594/ 

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal

Jamie Merrick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemerrick/

Recorded remotely and at Spiritland Studios, UK.

Episode photo credit: Ian Jindal.

Chris Poad, Managing Director, Online at Tesco PLC joins us in the studio for a wide-ranging and extensive discussion. Fresh from a series of senior roles at Amazon (heading Fulfilment by Amazon, then Director, Amazon Business International), Chris has returned to the UK to take up the reins at Tesco's online activities - just in time to be in the eye of the COVID storm! 

We segue from his career to the Tesco response - an impressive and sustained activity at scale - and we learn about the values that drove the work, the decision-making approaches, and how the team runs under such great pressure.

The interview is chock-full of insights, expressed with clarity and openness - it's a privileged view inside Tesco at a defining time. There are too many quotable nuggets to list here, but the title of this podcast references a perceptive classification of decision-making - jump to 22m10s if you can't bear to wait! It's worth it.

Our thanks to Chris for giving us so much time, and we'll pick up with him again post-Christmas to see how the peak-upon-peak of trading turned out.

 

Run time: 38 minutes

INFORMATION:

Chris Poad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispoad/

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal

Jamie Merrick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemerrick/

Recorded remotely and at Spiritland Studios, UK.

Episode photo credit: Ian Jindal.

A bumper edition for the stifling dog-days of August! 

We kick off with an in-depth chat with Mark Wright, Group Operations Director at Fat Face. Mark's got an incredible track record in retail - online, offline and multichannel - with stints as head of trading at M&S and as Managing Director, Omnichannel and Jack Wills. His role at Fat Face covers all operations and trading and so it was interesting to get his reflections upon the lockdown, recovery and impact. Mark's a direct and generous guest and so there's no holding back!

After Mark we hear from Murray Lambell, the VP of Trading at eBay UK. Murray's role is to help major retailers and brands get onto the eBay platform and there are some suprises here, with no hard sell. 27 million (yes, million) active customers on eBay are the "bait" for sellers, and Murray's team look at what they're are searching for, identify gaps, and then approach retailers and brands to take up that demand. Murray shares  with us the partnership approach and, as if a jolt were needed this year, points out that 60,000 sellers have joined eBay in the last 90 days! Busy, busy times indeed.

 

Run time: 53 minutes

INFORMATION:

Mark Wright: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-wright-74824b/

Murray Lambell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murraylambell/

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal

Jamie Merrick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemerrick/

Recorded remotely and at Spiritland Studios, UK.

Episode photo credit: Ian Jindal.

Still in lockdown limbo, we use the internet to speak with two guests from the beauty and electricals sectors.

 

First up is Aaron Winsloe, the Head of eCommerce USA for The Hut Group. We spoke with Aaron in his new office just before the group results were announced - an impressive 24% revenue growth to £1.1bn and a 22% increase in profits. With 66% of group turnover coming from the international operations, it was a timely moment to catch up with Aaron, and in particular the trading and learning experience over COVID.

 

Next up is John Roberts, founder and CEO of AO.com. John has some very pithy sayings, as well as a lovely 'origin story' for how 'Appliances Online' (as it was 20 years ago) was founded. This interview was recorded as a keynote for IRX Engage's inaugural digital event, and in discussion we hear about the 'pivot' to a direct-selling brand and the values that underpin the business' success.  The sound quality is more "phone line" than "BBC Studio" but John is such a compelling speaker that we had to share the interview.

 

 

Run time: 26 minutes.

INFORMATION:

Aaron Winsloe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-winsloe-a0a30680/

John Roberts: https://twitter.com/johnrobertsAO

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal

Jamie Merrick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemerrick/

Recorded remotely and at Spiritland Studios, UK.

Episode photo credit: Ian Jindal.

As Lockdown continued, we caught up with our guests 'over the web'.

Our first guest is Gracia Amico: chair, non-executive advisor and experienced CEO. In the past, she’s held senior digital and commercial roles at Burberry, TopShop and Hobbs, as well as CEO at Pets Pyjamas. After a period as Head of Digital Operations at Sun Capital, Gracia is now a non-executive Director at Stitched (the online curtains and blinds seller) and Chair of the pet technology company, Pet Mate.

With Gracia we learn about the dynamics of the 'pet' market, discuss the role of the CEO and the skills needed as Chair, and touch on an investor view of the skills needed to thrive as we emerge from lockdown.

Robin Phillips is our next guest. Robin is the CEO of The Watch Shop, but his career has seen him cover the gamut of ecommerce. He was Ecommerce Director at Waitrose, then Director of Omnichannel for Boots, before joining Kurt Geiger as Director of Digital. Robin’s experience then across fashion, food and pharmacy mean that he’s got a unique take on retail over the COVID lockdown, as well as some interesting insights on how The Watch Shop can be a brand platform for watch brands to sell. 

 

Run time: 40 minutes.

INFORMATION:

Gracia Amico: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracia-amico-7aa9b0/

Robin Phillips: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-phillips-rgp/

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal

Jamie Merrick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemerrick/

Recorded remotely and at Spiritland Studios, UK.

Episode photo credit: Ian Jindal.

Thoroughly grounded in London, I luckily had some interviews from the ’time when travel was allowed’ and so we hear from Rikard Frost, Chief Consumer Officer of Alexander Wang Inc, when we visited him in New York City in January 2020. Then, further back in time, we chat with Pieter Heij, Multichannel Director at De Bijenkorf, the Netherland’s premier department store (and part of the Selfridges group). We chatted with Pieter just before an autumn dinner in Amsterdam - such proximity is much missed as we socially distance!

 

Run time: 33 minutes.

INFORMATION:

Rickard Frost: www.linkedin.com/in/rikardfrost/

Pieter Heij: www.linkedin.com/in/pieterheij/

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal

 

Recorded on location in London, UK at Spiritland Studios and New York, USA and Amsterdam, NL. Episode photo credit: Ian Jindal.

Jamie and I kick off this episode with our thoughts on NRF2020 - the National Retail Federation’s "Big Show" in New York. Held in January each year, this 40,000-visitor-1000-exhibitor behemoth is gradually turning into a packed ’retail week’. Jamie and I cover our impressions of the show and what’s new and noteworthy, as well as giving a summary of the highlights of our store tour in which we visited Showfields (see RetailCraft 15 for an interview with one of the founders), Amazon 4-Star, Atelier Beauté Chanel, Glossier, The Real Real, Gucci, Camp and Neighborhood Goods.

 

You can see the details of the store tour here: airtable.com/shr6VPGFXHB4LNBoU/tblIQv68dVMxyALSJ

 

Next we travel back in time to NRF itself, when we were joined in the podcast studio by Laura Padfield, Head of Strategy and Business Development, International at Marks & Spencer. We cover a range of topics from the international growth and approach, differences between regions as well as hearing Laura’s reflections on the stores we’d visited.

 

Run time: 36 minutes.

INFORMATION:

Laura Padfield: www.linkedin.com/in/laura-padfield-1bb80b21/

Jamie Merrick: www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemerrick/

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal

 

Recorded on location in London, UK at Spiritland Studios and at the NRF Podcast Studio in New York, USA. Episode photo credit: Ian Jindal.

This bumper edition of the podcast is our ’Christmas present’, bringing interviews from New York retailers from three different sectors, but each innovative.

 

First of all we hear from Savannah Sachs. Avid followers of IR will remember that Savannah featured on the cover of our Magazine in March 2018 when she was with Birchbox, one of the early beauty-sector disruptors. Now we catch up with her as CEO of Tula - a skincare company that’s bringing to life "clean" cosmetics, linked to the skin biome, and focused on efficacy. Savannah brings clarity to these trends and it’s a fascinating insight to a business, with Savannah’s lucid and engaging explanation.

 

Then we head to meet Amir Zwickel, co-founder and Chief Property Officer of Showfields. This is a genuinely interesting and distinctive evolution of trends in pop-ups, department stores, experience places and location. We join Amir in the bustling "Lounge" on the top floor of their Soho store and get a fast-paced take on this evolved and distinctive business.

 

Finally we visit Marianna Satanas, Global Digital Sales Director at Eton Shirts. We’ve wanted to chat with Marianna for a while to learn about her experiences at Mr Porter, DKNY and others, but in her current role we have a combination of direct-to-consumer and digital wholesale, in a century-old brand that operates globally.Candid, fun and energetic as always, Marianna gives us an excellent view of the brand’s direction and journey.

 

Thanks as always to our guests. Let us know suggestions for 2020 (including volunteering yourself!). We will be back in January at NRF’s Big Show in NYC (where we are an official podcast partner of the event) and then in London again with the interviews from the Big Apple.

 

Merry Christmas, and best wishes for 2020 from the whole team at InternetRetailing.

 

Run time: 62 minutes.

RetailCraft 15 - "Loyalty and desirability" - Tula Skincare, Showfields and Eton Shirts

This bumper edition of the podcast is our ’Christmas present’, bringing interviews from New York retailers from three different sectors, but each innovative.

 

First of all we hear from Savannah Sachs. Avid followers of IR will remember that Savannah featured on the cover of our Magazine in March 2018 when she was with Birchbox, one of the early beauty-sector disruptors. Now we catch up with her as CEO of Tula - a skincare company that’s bringing to life "clean" cosmetics, linked to the skin biome, and focused on efficacy. Savannah brings clarity to these trends and it’s a fascinating insight to a business, with Savannah’s lucid and engaging explanation.

 

Then we head to meet Amir Zwickel, co-founder and Chief Property Officer of Showfields. This is a genuinely interesting and distinctive evolution of trends in pop-ups, department stores, experience places and location. We join Amir in the bustling "Lounge" on the top floor of their Soho store and get a fast-paced take on this evolved and distinctive business.

 

Finally we visit Marianna Satanas, Global Digital Sales Director at Eton Shirts. We’ve wanted to chat with Marianna for a while to learn about her experiences at Mr Porter, DKNY and others, but in her current role we have a combination of direct-to-consumer and digital wholesale, in a century-old brand that operates globally.Candid, fun and energetic as always, Marianna gives us an excellent view of the brand’s direction and journey.

 

Thanks as always to our guests. Let us know suggestions for 2020 (including volunteering yourself!). We will be back in January at NRF’s Big Show in NYC (where we are an official podcast partner of the event) and then in London again with the interviews from the Big Apple.

 

Merry Christmas, and best wishes for 2020 from the whole team at InternetRetailing.

 

Run time: 62 minutes.

 

Click here to listen on PodBean

 

 

 

INFORMATION:

Savannah Sachs: www.linkedin.com/in/savannahsachs/

Amir Zwickel: www.linkedin.com/in/amirzwickel/

Marianna Satanas: www.linkedin.com/in/marianna-satanas/

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal

Savannah’s cover interview in InternetRetailing Magazine: internetretailing.net/magazine/internetretailing-magazine--march-2018

 

Recorded on location in New York, USA and at Spiritland Studios, London. Episode photo credit: Ian Jindal.

Podcasts really shouldn’t be this much fun! The word “iconic” is for once apt, as we have a wide-ranging chat in the studio with these two UK-yet-global retailers, Fortnum & Mason, and Liberty London. With over 400 years of history being them we hear how focus, sticking to your DNA and having a real personality infuse both retailers.

 

Zia Zareem-Slade (Customer Experience Director at Fortnum & Mason) and Eric Fergusson (Ecommerce Director at Liberty London) join Jamie Merrick and Ian Jindal in our London studio.

 

We discuss their roles, what makes their businesses distinctive, “a celebration of the exceptional” and retail ‘as a movement’; from ‘joy-giving gifts’ to being ‘more relevant to more people more often’, via ‘how I got my job’. During this free-ranging conversation you’ll certainly agree that they are ‘never monotone’.

 

We mention the insta feeds a couple of times in the podcast so do get a slice of the glamour at www.instagram.com/fortnums and www.instagram.com/libertylondon

Run time: 45 minutes.

 

INFORMATION:

Gail Schuman: www.linkedin.com/in/gailshuman/

Jennifer Roebuck: www.linkedin.com/in/jroe/

Robin Phillips: www.linkedin.com/in/robin-phillips-rgp/

Vera Hartmuth: www.linkedin.com/in/vera-hartmuth-7405962/

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal

 

Recorded on location in London, UK at Spiritland Studios. Episode photo credit: Ian Jindal.

We’re back to school in style as Gail Shuman (Group eCommerce Director at Harvey Nichols), Jennifer Roebuck (Chief Marketing Officer at Feelunique.com) and Robin Phillips (CEO at The Watch Shop) join Vera Hartmuth and Ian Jindal in our London studio. We discuss luxury experience to sustainability and transparency, via brand management and business models to thoughts on loyalty and desirability in this engaging free-ranging conversation.

INFORMATION:

Gail Schuman: www.linkedin.com/in/gailshuman/

Jennifer Roebuck: www.linkedin.com/in/jroe/

Robin Phillips: www.linkedin.com/in/robin-phillips-rgp/

Vera Hartmuth: www.linkedin.com/in/vera-hartmuth-7405962/

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal

 

Recorded on location in London, UK at Spiritland Studios. Episode photo credit: Ian Jindal.