The Retail Hive

Yesterday, Noj Mather and Paul Kehoe were privileged to be invited to Prestbury Golf Club to take part in the Michael Carrick Foundation charity golf day. The Michael Carrick Foundation dedicates itself to helping children and young people across the UK, and events like this help them to raise not only funding, but awareness of their great cause. Thanks so much for the invite, we look forward to working with the foundation in the near future! ⛳️

AI is now far more than just a buzzword, and whether it’s Generative AI, traditional AI, or Machine Learning, the challenge lies not just in adopting these technologies, but in preparing your data infrastructure to fully harness its potential. On 17th September, we’re heading back to The Ivy Tower Bridge for a breakfast boardroom all around the Future of AI, in partnership with Rackspace Technology. If you’re a retail tech leader looking to discuss and benchmark your AI challenges with a very select group of brands including COS, Crew Clothing, Burberry, Monsoon Accessorize, River Island and more, this is the perfect opportunity for you. The breakfast will run 8.30-10.30am and discussions will cover topics including: 🔌 Breaking Down Data Silos 🔌 AI-Driven Transformation 🔌 Data Strategy & Culture 🔌 Ethical AI Deployment 🔌 Measuring Impact We only have a couple of spaces left, so if you’d like to get involved, or even just find out a bit more, sign up here: https://bit.ly/4dWoWCj or get in contact directly with Mike Nelson Here are a few photos from last time!

Throwback Thursday🚨 The time next week we’ll be well underway with our Focus on Fulfilment meeting - so here’s a little taster of what to expect, from the last time we came together with this lovely bunch. A huge thank you to Ellen Harkin from the LEGO Group, Claire Laidlaw from LUSH and Zara Taylor of Interflora UK & Ireland for very kindly sharing some insight into their sustainability stories, the initiatives they’ve put in place, and some top tips for ensuring your business is moving towards a sustainable future.🌍 You can check out the full interviews here: https://lnkd.in/eiGWZW4d And to get involved with invaluable insight, ideas and solutions from your peers at Focus on Fulfilment next Thursday (12th) at The IET London, register and get involved here: https://bit.ly/3XrZChK

With Focus on Fulfilment taking place next Thursday, and sustainability in the supply chain being a very important focus area for most of the members joining us, as well as those who can’t make it, what better time to share our latest interview. Dan Pass, Head of Logistics, Ann Summers was kind enough to sit down with us recently and share some great insight into Ann Summers’ sustainability journey. “Some sustainability measures reduce costs too, and those are a no-brainer, but when sustainability significantly increases costs, we have to ensure that what it delivers is a marked improvement environmentally.” Of course, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration with sustainability initiatives, and no two businesses are the same, but it can be comforting to hear that you may be facing some of the same challenges as others and can use their experiences to fuel your own initiatives. Check out what Dan had to say at the link below. And if you’re not yet coming to Focus on Fulfilment next week, register yourself here: https://lnkd.in/eM9n7NAq

It's now just over one week until we're back with our supply chain community for our biggest Focus on Fulfilment meeting yet! Throughout next Thursday, we'll follow our tried and tested format of curated roundtables discussions, hand-picked 1:1 meetings and best-in-class workshops based off key topics across the fulfilment industry. As well as all of these interactive sessions, we'll be hearing from some of the key players in the game right now on our main stage throughout the day, and here's how that content is shaping up, who'll be joining us and more... Thanks so much to all of our wonderful speakers: 🎙 Amy-Marie Allen, Head of Supply Chain, Selfridges 🎙 Dan Perez, Commercial Director, Ann Summers 🎙 Gavin Huggett, Head of Supply Chain & Merchandising, Furniture Village 🎙 Richard Brodrick CMILT., Head of Customer Fulfilment, Signet Jewelers 🎙 Simon Ratcliffe, Supply Chain & Logistics Lead, The White Company 🎙 Tim Jones, Director of Marketing, Communications & Sustainability, DPD UK 🎙 Ian Howes, Director of Logistics & Fulfilment Operations, Sainsbury's 🎙 Kieron Colclough, Assistant General Manager - Inbound, Stock & Systems Development, New Look 🎙 Sandeep Anand, Country Fulfilment Availability & Support Manager - UK & Ireland, IKEA 🎙 Lucie Parry, Head of Operations, EMEA, TravisMathew 🎙 Guy Meisl FCILT, Director of Global Logistics, Radley London 🎙 Susanne Robbins, Trading Director, The White Company And a huge thanks to our recommended partners: Transportation, Shipping, & Logistics at Amazon, Bergen Logistics, Bleckmann, BlueYonder, CEVA Logistics, DHL Supply Chain, DPD UK, Infor, Kleene.ai, ParcelPlanet, Procarrier, RideLogix, Scurri, Sendcloud, Visku and Zedify We'll also be holding a networking drinks from 5-7pm to round off the day, will you be joining us? We're down to the final 5 spaces available, so if you're a retailer in the supply chain, get yourself involved for free here: https://bit.ly/3XrZChK

Tomorrow lunchtime (Thursday 29th, Midday) we continue our Café series with the next deep-dive session: Beyond the hype - the real-world applications of AI. AI has genuinely transformational powers. But how do you cut through the hype to make an impact? We will explore how and where to harness this technology to solve problems and unlock opportunity for your business today. - How is UK Retail using AI right now? Where are the biggest wins? - What problems do retailers have that AI can solve? - What real world applications and examples exist that inspire you? - What methods and techniques should you employ to get started with AI? Brands that'll be joining this hour-long lunchtime discussion include Nestle, Oh Polly, Deckers Brands, Dice, Crew Clothing, Ann Summers, The White Company, Hobby Craft, Seasalt Cornwall, Selfridges, Dr Martens, Not on the High Street, New Look, Fortnum & Mason, Co-op and Travis Matthew. Fancy getting involved? Request the meeting link here, then just grab a coffee and join online... See you there!

We're thrilled to unveil our latest Sustainability Benchmarking Pulse Report in partnership with DHL Supply Chain! 🌍✨ Over the past year, we've continued our deep dive into the sustainability efforts within the retail community. This pulse report reveals the strides brands are making, how they're measuring their impact, and the practices they're putting in place to drive meaningful change. It isn't just a deep dive - it's a roadmap to accelerate your sustainability strategy effectively! Inside, you'll find: - Insights on the shifts in priority and investment levels over the last 12 months. - Real-world examples from members Gary Lake, Supply Chain and Procurement Director, The Collective UK | B Corp™, Hannah Jarratt, Former Senior Sustainability Manager, Selfridges, Dan Pass, Head of Logistics & Supply Chain, Ann Summers, and Jake Firth, Logistics Manager, LUSH. - Actionable strategies to future-proof your sustainability initiatives. Did you know... - 72% of retailers have now put sustainability in their top 3 strategic priorities - 10% of retailers spend over 20% of profits on sustainability efforts Enjoy this opportunity to gain valuable insights from your peers and reimagine your sustainability journey. 🌱💡 🔗Download the report now: https://lnkd.in/ek-mC8jE

In today's world, fulfilment is about more than just reducing costs, it's about creating seamless, customer-first experiences that gain trust and loyalty from your customer. Our latest blog is off the back of discussions that Visku hosted at our Supply Chain Leaders Exchange earlier this year and explores how top retailers are transforming their fulfilment strategies to meet rising expectations and deliver value far beyond the bottom line. If you're navigating how to optimise your supply chain in the warehouse and beyond, this is a must read. With insights, takeaways, top tips and more from a selection of our most senior members, it'll open your eyes into how you can reapproach fulfilment as a whole. Visku will be joining us on 12th September at our biggest Focus on Fulfilment meeting yet. If you're free and would like to put heads together with 120 senior supply chain peers about the most pressing challenges in the supply chain right now, register here: https://lnkd.in/eM9n7NAq

AI is now way more than just a buzzword, it's become an integral tool to transform customer experiences, inventory management, and operational efficiency. It's success however hinges on one critical factor: data readiness. We're excited to announce that in partnership with Rackspace Technology and Microsoft, we'll be hosting an exclusive members breakfast discussion in London on September 17th to discuss some of the most pressing challenges around AI in retail. With discussion topics including: - Breaking Down Data Silos - AI-Driven Transformation - Data Strategy & Culture - Ethical AI Deployment - Measuring Impact We'll be bringing 12 senior tech leaders together over breakfast for open, candid discussion to help elevate what AI can really be doing for your retail business. Interested in joining? Just follow the link below and register, or get in contact with Rose Crowhurst to reserve your space. See you there! https://lnkd.in/efUcsGiJ

This week we had a special delivery to Hive HQ… Nicci Clark, CEO at RE:NOURISH sent us a care package of their super healthy, and even tastier soups and gazpacho. Not only are Re:Nourish B-Corp Certified, their products are low on calories, taste incredible and are packed with all the goodness needed for a healthy lifestyle. The packaging is fully recycled, and you can stick it straight in the microwave to heat up before enjoying. Bon apetit! Thanks so much Nicci and Team Re:Nourish! Nicci will be at our upcoming CX & Data Exchange – so please do introduce yourself for a chat! (Here’s a very excited Ellie Roston getting ready for an early lunch)