The Retail Champion, Sleaford (2026)

Name: The Retail Champion
Address: Sleaford, NG347RY, GB
Telephone: +447462218000
Price range: $$

The Retail Champion: Clare Rayner

Clare Rayner, The Retail Champion, is one of the most well-known and respected retail consultants in the UK. A child born into a family of retailers and entrepreneurs, she is passionate about retail and business: it is in her blood. Clare started out as a fast-track graduate store management trainee for McDonalds and went on to work with leading retailers such as

M&S, Dixons and Argos. She moved swiftly into management roles before being headhunted into senior consulting roles with global software giant SAP, and international management consulting brand, Accenture. Known as The Retail Champion, Clare is engaged by clients as a retail consultant, retail speaker and retail mentor. She is regularly called upon by most of the mainstream media (including TV and Radio) and trade press to comment as a retail expert. Her retail business book, specifically written to enable Independent Retailers to become scalable, saleable businesses, was published by Kogan
Page, in July 2012. It has had success both in the UK and the US. In addition to providing 1-2-1 supporting to business owners and providing professional speaking services through The Retail Champion, Clare is also an owner-director of several retail-centric businesses including Retail Acumen (retail analysts and consultants), The Retail Conference (retail networking and events) and e-mphasis Internet Marketing (search marketing for clients who serve consumers). For further information see Clare Rayner’s linkedin profile for a full CV and recommendations (http://www.linkedin.com/in/clarerayner) and also Clare Rayner’s YouTube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/clarerayner)

Clare is exclusively represented by STH Management incorporating Women Speakers. For media enquiries contact [email protected]

15/06/2026

Trust vs Reward: What Real Loyalty Actually Looks Like

The third and final episode of the Loyalty Illusion series.

Clare addresses the core tension: if customers are only returning because of incentives, is that actually loyalty?

She argues there are more loyalty programmes than ever but less true loyalty.

The episode covers the difference between driving behaviour and earning trust, the distinction between a customer who “shops with you” versus one who “chooses you,” the three pillars of trust-building (Clarity, Consistency, and Experience), why dynamic pricing quietly destroys customer trust, and the path forward — using behaviour-driving mechanics for acquisition, then converting to trust-based retention.

Listen via the link in bio 🔗

11/06/2026

Gen Z: They’re Not Disloyal. They’re Just Not Yours

Part two of the Loyalty Illusion series.

Clare challenges the “Gen Z are disloyal” narrative as the wrong lens entirely, digging into what’s really driving Gen Z behaviour.

The episode covers why “disloyal” is the wrong label, why gamification creates engagement but not attachment (the pseudo-loyalty trap), what the new competitive battlefield actually is, and what this means practically for retail and eCommerce strategy.

Episode 3 promises to answer what actually builds real, lasting connection with this generation

04/06/2026

Something we're really proud of has just landed.

Over the years Clare Bailey has worked with hundreds of independent retailers.
In their stores, behind the scenes, through the numbers,helping them fix the things that were quietly costing them margin, customers and confidence.

The same challenges kept coming up. Pricing that wasn't working. Stock that wasn't shifting. Suppliers they were paying too much. Stores that weren't doing the selling for them. Ranges that had grown without a commercial logic behind them.

And every time, the fix wasn't complicated. It was clarity. The right framework, applied consistently, made a bigger difference than any amount of extra effort or extra spend.

That's exactly what the Retail Champion Playbooks are.

Five structured, step-by-step commercial frameworks covering the areas that make the biggest difference to an independent retail business:

📦 Merchandising. Turn your store into a silent salesperson
💰 Pricing & Promotions. Price with confidence, promote with purpose
🚚 Supply Chain so you can buy smarter, negotiate stronger, build resilience
📋 Range Planning so you can build a range that works commercially
🔄 Product Life Cycle Management so you can maximise profit at every stage

These aren't theoretical guides. They're practical tools built from real retail experience. The kind you can pick up on a Monday morning and start using the same week.

£49 each. No fluff. No filler. Just frameworks that work.

If you've ever felt like you're putting everything into your business and not getting the results back that you deserve...this is where that changes.

All five playbooks are available now at the link below. Have a look and see which one speaks to the biggest challenge in your business right now.

Link is in the comments 👇🏼

30/05/2026

The UK high street isn't dying. But it is changing — faster than policy is keeping up with.

On Thursday 4th June, Clare Bailey and the Retail Champion team are joining forces with Public Policy Exchange for a free national webinar on the future of UK high streets.

We'll be cutting through the noise on what's actually happening — the vacancy rates, the footfall figures, the shifting mix of businesses — and more importantly, what needs to happen next.

Because the high streets that are thriving right now aren't waiting for a government strategy. They're making bold decisions about what they want to be. And the ones that are struggling deserve better than vague promises about regeneration.
This is the conversation retail needs to have.

📅 Thursday 4th June
⏰ 9:30am — 1:00pm BST
💻 REGISTER TO JOIN

Swipe to see what we'll be covering and who's in the room.
Register via the link below:

https://publicpolicyexchange.co.uk/event.php?eventUID=QC26-PPE

28/05/2026

I’m delighted to be joining this year’s Boutique Magazine Awards as a judge.

At a time when independent fashion retail is under huge pressure, it feels more important than ever to celebrate the businesses still showing creativity, resilience and real personality on the high street and online.

Awards like these matter because they shine a light on the retailers doing things properly. The ones building communities, creating experiences, understanding their customers and finding ways to stand out in an increasingly crowded market.

I’ll be looking for businesses with clarity. Retailers who know who they are, who they serve and why customers choose them. Not just beautiful shops or strong social media, but clear thinking, strong leadership and a point of difference that connects.
Independent retail can be tough, but it can also be incredibly innovative, energetic and inspiring when it’s done well. That’s what I’m hoping to see in the entries this year.

If you’ve been thinking about entering, this is your sign to do it.
You don’t need to be the biggest business in the room to deserve recognition.

Entries are open until 31st July.

Full details and entry forms here: https://boutique-magazine.co.uk/boutique-star-awards-2026/

10/05/2026

Clare bought some shoes online. Two days later, an email landed: 50% off — on the exact pairs she'd just bought. No credit. No apology. Just an algorithm doing its job.

She quietly decided never to shop there again.

That's the quiet war playing out in retail right now. And it's what this episode is all about.

Part 2 of the miniseries digs into the tension between data-led pricing, AI automation, and the one thing retailers can't afford to lose: customer trust.

Because data is a tool, not a strategy. And fairness, in a world of dynamic pricing and automated decisions — might just be your most powerful competitive advantage. 🎙️

🔗 Listen now: https://www.retailreckoningpodcast.co.uk/episode/retail-tech-cant-replace-retail-strategy

Address

Sleaford
NG347RY

Telephone

+447462218000

Website

http://www.retailchampion.co.uk/

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