Reimagining the retail experience

Our next guest has a wealth of experience in consulting and advising retailers on how to reimagine their physical retail space. Joining Paul for some Retail Therapy is Ian Johnston, the Founder and Creative Director of Quinine – UK-based research, strategy and design consultancy. We’ve heard a lot about ‘why’ when it comes to the importance of sustainability, but the focus has shifted to the execution of the goals and targets. As we discover, physical retailers around the globe are creating inventive ways to hit their sustainability and diversity objectives, from travelling buses making repairs, and multi-use premises to a designated quiet hour in-store. How does the physical store play a role in the sustainability journey? How does bricks and mortar foster loyalty and trust and in turn sustainability credibility? Ian unpacks this important topic and so much more. We cover: Innovative initiatives by global brands What a sustainability-focused retailer looks like Importance of an end-of-life plan Solutions that make a big experiential difference Retail stores as an education platform Strengthening the sustainability connection with customers Advice for SMBs starting their sustainability journey What Ian thinks will bring the industry unstuck Will e-commerce ever overshadow bricks and mortar? A big thank you to AWS for supporting this season of the podcast. AWS is how you can have a sustainable business. Find out how AWS can help: https://pages.awscloud.com/aws-sustainability-transformation.html    REFERENCES -  WRC Report on Sustainability in Retail - https://www.worldretailcongress.com/congess-content/behind-the-curve-the-nascent-state-of-sustainability-in-retail Starbucks Reserve Roastery - https://www.starbucks.com.cn/en/about/news/roastery-leed-platinum-certification/ Urban Outfitters, Rialto Theatre Store - https://laist.com/news/urban-outfitters-revamping-dtlas-hi  Patagonia, Repairs truck called Worn Wear - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-bvyLQ5mP0 H&M Looop - https://about.hm.com/news/general-news-2020/recycling-system--looop--helps-h-m-transform-unwanted-garments-i.html  Build Corporate Philotimy - Philotimy means decency, dignity, honesty, and a dozen other ideals encapsulating what it means to live with integrity. It is greater than the individual, positively impacting family, community, organization, and society.  Research shows that companies with a strong sense of philotimy consistently outperform less-virtuous companies.  https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2575912