Retail Disrupted

What if your store is turning away loyal customers without realizing it?
Accessibility isn't just a social responsibility — it can directly impact customer loyalty, spending and retail revenue. In this episode of Retail Disrupted, Natalie Berg speaks with Mark Webb, former retail leader and disability advocate, about living with multiple sclerosis and what retailers can learn from his experiences as both a customer and industry insider.
Prior to medical retirement, Mark held senior comms and social media roles at Disneyland Paris, the Walt Disney Company, David Lloyd Leisure, Dixons Retail and Shift.ms.
Mark shares how flexibility and compassion from his employers helped him stay in work after his MS diagnosis — and why he believes many retailers are still getting accessibility wrong.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
🎙️ Retail Disrupted is an award-winning Top 5% Global Podcast. Every week, retail analyst Natalie Berg speaks with the leaders and disruptors shaping the future of retail.  
👉 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@retaildisrupted
👉 Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/retail-disrupted/id1676107321
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AI deployed into fragmentation does not create intelligence; it amplifies complexity.
Recorded at Manhattan Exchange in Milan, this episode features regular guest Ben Sillitoe to break down what retail leaders shared on the ground about moving beyond AI pilots.
Exchange is Manhattan Associates' flagship European event. Last year, the emphasis was on "unleashing the agents". 12 months on, what have we learned?
The focus in Milan was on AI agents inside existing workflows: transportation planning agents. Omnichannel specialist agents. Shipment tracking agents. Tools that identify problems and proactively resolve them.
But an AI agent is only as useful as the information and rules available to work with. Solid foundations are everything. For example, pulling inventory from one system, customer details from another, fulfilment from a third and carrier data from a fourth creates multiple versions of the truth — and an agent that can confidently give the wrong answer, fast. 
The takeaway from Milan: the aim is not to create smarter machines, but smarter organizations — powered by people, unified by technology, accelerated by AI, and unburdened by complexity. 
Featuring examples from JD Sports, Asda, L'Oreal, Co-op, Bauhaus, Foot Locker, CIA Conad, and more. 
📺 Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/c08ExOWFl90 
For more, visit https://www.manh.com 
ABOUT THE PODCAST
🎙️ Retail Disrupted is an award-winning Top 5% Global Podcast. Every week, retail analyst Natalie Berg speaks with the leaders and disruptors shaping the future of retail.  
👉 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@retaildisrupted
👉 Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/retail-disrupted/id1676107321
👉 Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5H0TALn63ov2VAIJPNi3FM
👉 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retail-disrupted/
👉 Subscribe to our newsletter: https://retaildisrupted.substack.com

Your store is no longer just a place for transactions – it's your best marketing channel.
Jack Stratten, Director of Insider Trends, sits down with Natalie Berg to explore how to repurpose stores for a digital era.
Jack shares what he is seeing on the ground, from Gentle Monster building stores where marketing is a main KPI to brand takeovers in Sephora Barcelona where, alongside traditional sales metrics, the retailer is also assessing dwell time, traffic and conversion. 
You'll learn why Sostrene Grene is among Europe's fastest growing physical retailers and how winning retailers design their stores for content creation, build treasure-hunt discovery, and connect store and digital teams to drive engagement that online alone cannot deliver.
Connect with Jack on LinkedIn.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
🎙️ Retail Disrupted is an award-winning Top 5% Global Podcast. Every week, retail analyst Natalie Berg speaks with the leaders and disruptors shaping the future of retail.  
👉 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@retaildisrupted
👉 Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/retail-disrupted/id1676107321
👉 Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5H0TALn63ov2VAIJPNi3FM  
👉 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retail-disrupted/
👉 Subscribe to our newsletter: https://retaildisrupted.substack.com

The Body Shop is in transformation mode. Two years after its rescue from administration, the globally renowned ethical beauty business is moving from stabilization to its next phase of growth under Mike Jatania - Co-Founder of Aurea Group and CEO & Chairman of The Body Shop.
Mike joins Natalie Berg to discuss what it takes to revive one of the world's most recognizable and purpose-driven brands. 
📺 You can also watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRM5IbolyHw&t=1s 
Retail leaders will learn:
Why loyal customers were never the problem and how to win new customers in a disrupted market.
The 5-pillar turnaround: brand positioning, meeting shoppers where they are, data-led decisions, speed to market, and operational focus.
Why stores still matter: creating relaxed, personalized, experience-led spaces and a seamless online to in-store journey.
The digital growth plan: growing D2C e-commerce from 15% to 40% of sales within the next 3 years - and getting the assortment right for marketplaces and quick commerce..
How The Body Shop returned to the US exclusively through e-commerce and Mike's plans to selectively return to bricks & mortar in the future.
The opportunity in wholesale and travel retail. One of The Body Shop's best performing stores in Germany? A railway station in Cologne.
How The Body Shop is using AI across marketing, supply chain, demand planning, legal, and more.
What Gen Z really wants: purpose plus performance, backed by clinical proof.
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Mike is CEO & Chairman of The Body Shop and Co-Founder of Aurea Group, a specialist private equity firm focused on beauty, wellness and longevity. A seasoned entrepreneur and a visionary leader in the beauty and personal care industry, Mike previously served as CEO of the Lornamead Group where he played a pivotal role in transforming the company into a global powerhouse, managing a portfolio of more than 30 personal care brands distributed across 50 countries.
In 2021, Mike Jatania co-founded Aurea Group with former UBS Vice Chairman, Paul Raphael. In September 2024, through Auréa, Mike led a consortium of investors to acquire The Body Shop, where he now serves as Executive Chairman and CEO. Mike aims to usher in a new chapter for The Body Shop, driving growth and enhancing its global presence while preserving its core values and ethos.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
🎙️ Retail Disrupted is an award-winning Top 5% Global Podcast. Every week, retail analyst Natalie Berg speaks with the leaders and disruptors shaping the future of retail.  
👉 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@retaildisrupted 
👉 Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/retail-disrupted/id1676107321  
👉 Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5H0TALn63ov2VAIJPNi3FM  
👉 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retail-disrupted/ 
👉 Subscribe to our newsletter: https://retaildisrupted.substack.com

How did a third-generation butcher from Wolverhampton use TikTok to become one of the UK's most recognisable halal brands? 
Manny Malik from Malik Butchers joins Natalie Berg at TikTok's live shopping event in Covent Garden.
Manny explains the Halal Family Series that hit up to 9 million views, how they ship fresh meat across the UK via TikTok Shop, and why TikTok Shop buyers became inbound wholesale leads. 
He also shares how customers now travel from as far as the US and Australia, just to visit their counter.
For retail leaders, this is a practical look at content to commerce, TikTok Shop as an extra revenue stream, and how social can build national distribution from one store.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
🎙️ Retail Disrupted is an award-winning Top 5% Global Podcast. Every week, retail analyst Natalie Berg speaks with the leaders and disruptors shaping the future of retail.  
👉 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@retaildisrupted
👉 Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/retail-disrupted/id1676107321 
👉 Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5H0TALn63ov2VAIJPNi3FM 
👉 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retail-disrupted/
👉 Subscribe to our newsletter: https://retaildisrupted.substack.com