London Tech Week: Supply Chain Resilience with Tesco, Unilever, DHL
Recorded live on stage at London Tech Week, Natalie speaks to Kuru Subramaniam, Head of Product at Tesco, Francis Castro, Vice President, Global Customer Operations at Unilever, and Saul Resnick, CEO UK & Ireland at DHL Supply Chain. They discuss: From ‘just-in-time’ to ‘just-in-case’: how supply chains are adapting to disruption. How digital twins and predictive analytics can help businesses simulate scenarios and maintain operational stability. The importance of collaboration and why, as Tesco’s Subramaniam points out, you're only as resilient as your most vulnerable partner. The increasing significance of transparency in sustainability efforts and disruption preparedness. AI and robotics: why DHL’s Resnick is excited about agentic AI and advancing robotics in warehouses. Why Unilever’s Castro believes you need a “try culture” and to be accepting of failure. Today’s episode is brought to you by Transporeon, a leading global logistics platform that connects shippers, carriers, and retailers to enhance transportation management. Transporeon offers a comprehensive suite of digital solutions that improve visibility, efficiency, and collaboration in the supply chain. 📣 REGISTER -> Join Natalie, Zebra Technologies, and Retail Gazette on July 16 for this webinar on transforming frontline comms. 📣
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Whistl: Why Fulfilment is the Backbone of E-commerce Success
Whistl’s James Hayes joins Natalie on the podcast to talk about the critical role of fulfilment in e-commerce success. They discuss: The evolution of online shopping: with e-commerce now accounting for nearly 30% of UK retail sales, how can retailers evolve to meet shifting consumer demands? The delivery experience: what’s the risk of getting it wrong? Returns aren’t going anywhere, so how can retailers manage this as efficiently as possible? Should they charge for returns? What role does a 3PL play? Supporting growth: how does Whistl help businesses scale? Don’t overpromise and underdeliver: tips to prepare for peak season. Understanding the true cost of fulfilment. Whistl is one of the UK’s leading logistics providers, offering scalable and tailored fulfilment solutions for e-commerce retailers and brands. From warehousing to delivery, every solution is built around the needs of their customers to help them scale with confidence. James’ bio: James Hayes is Whistl Fulfilment’s Director of Business Development. Named one of Scurri’s top 50 e-commerce and shipping influencers, he brings extensive experience in logistics and technology. Previously, James founded Parcel Station, exiting in 2018 to drive growth at Whistl. He specialises in helping brands scale through innovative fulfilment strategies and optimising final-mile delivery for a superior customer experience. A frequent speaker at industry events, podcasts, and webinars, James shares expert insights on building 3PL partnerships to fuel business growth and delight customers.
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From Skype to Starship: Ahti Heinla on Autonomous Delivery
Ahti Heinla is the Co-Founder and CEO at Starship Technologies. Previously, he was one of the founders and developers of Skype. He joins Natalie on the podcast to discuss the rise of autonomous delivery and the future of grocery e-commerce. They explore: Skype’s legacy in transforming modern global communications. The future of grocery delivery: drones in the sky and robots on the ground? The economics of autonomous delivery: just how cost-effective is it for retailers to deliver by robot? Are robots the most sustainable form of last-mile delivery? Following on from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent encounter with a Starship robot, what kind of regulatory change would Ahti like to see in the UK? The opportunities for humanoid robots: does Ahti agree with Elon Musk that robots will be babysitting our kids in the future?! 📣 REGISTER -> Join me, Zebra Technologies, and Retail Gazette on July 16 for this webinar on transforming frontline comms. 📣 More on Ahti: In 2013, Ahti Heinla designed a sample retrieval robot to compete in a NASA contest for Mars missions. Armed with that experience, Ahti and his co-founder Janus Friis, realized there was a huge opportunity to disrupt a delivery industry which has yet to be revolutionized by technology. They set to work creating a last-mile robotic delivery solution, which is when Starship Technologies was born. Founded in 2014, Starship now operates in more than 100 service areas worldwide, and its robots have completed more than 8 million deliveries. The company has headquarters in Tallinn, in Ahti’s native Estonia.
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Automating the Art of Negotiation: How Nibble Lets Online Shoppers Haggle For Lower Prices
Rosie Bailey is the CEO & Co-Founder of Nibble, an AI negotiation chatbot which can agree deals in less than a minute on anything from luxury watches to your next broadband subscription. She joins Natalie on the podcast to explain how Nibble allows customers to negotiate prices directly on a retailer’s website, and how this benefits both brands and customers. They discuss the psychology behind digital negotiation (far less intimidating than haggling in-person), what happens if someone offers £5 for a mattress, and why the online shopping experience must evolve. Rosie also shares her view on the future of AI in retail and why we must tread carefully with agentic AI. In closing, she provides valuable advice for retailers looking to integrate AI into their operations effectively. More on Rosie: Rosie passionately supports STEM education and anyone honing their real-life negotiation skills. She started her career in investment banking, negotiating multi-million deals for companies as diverse as Wagamama, Unilever and Jimmy Choo. She’s now deployed that negotiation expertise into Nibble.
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The AI Value Playbook
Lisa Weaver-Lambert is the author of The AI Value Playbook, an essential handbook empowering non-technical business leaders to formulate a perspective on how to leverage AI. She joins Natalie on the podcast to discuss the key findings from her book and share her views on AI’s impact on retail. Retail Disrupted listeners can use the code 20RETAIL for an exclusive discount on the book. Purchases must be made before June 26, 2025. Natalie also speaks to Richard Lim, CEO of Retail Economics, about their latest research on the cost of payment failures. You can read more about on Natalie’s blog or check out the full report from FreedomPay.
Disrupt or be disrupted - that's the choice facing retailers today.
Hosted by retail analyst Natalie Berg, this podcast unpacks the latest trends and innovations impacting the global retail sector. We explore how technology is reshaping the world of commerce, how shopping habits will evolve in the future and what retailers need to do to stay relevant to today's ubiquitously connected consumers. Join us for lively discussions with the industry's brightest minds - retail CEOs, business leaders, disruptive brands, analysts and tech experts.
Topics covered include:
• Retail leadership lessons: how to thrive in a perpetually evolving retail landscape
• How to meet the needs of today's hyper-informed, "on-my-terms" shopper
• Unified commerce: the convergence of physical and digital retail
• How technology can enhance the customer experience
• Store reinvention: how to repurpose bricks & mortar retail
• Future of e-commerce
• How AI and other emerging technologies will revolutionise the retail sector
• Macroeconomic, sociodemographic and ESG trends
• Evolution of customer loyalty
This is a London-based show with a global audience. For more, visit retaildisrupted.com
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