On-demand, online
Still navigating an uncertain UK economy, retailers and brands must become both more compelling in the customer experience propositions they offer and more creative in their marketing strategies if they want to cut through the noise and win consumer spend.
Brand discovery is a critical but often overlooked part of marketing and it’s the retailers nailing this equation that are coming out on top.
At this Retail Week virtual event, brought to you in partnership with Bloomreach, hear from omnichannel fashion and homeware retailer Matalan’s Chief Retail Officer Katherine Davis and Joe & Seph’s Gourmet Popcorn Co-founder Adam Sopher, who will share the marketing strategies they are deploying to aid discovery in 2025.
Moderated by Retail Week Commercial Content Editor Rebecca Taylor, the guests will also be joined by market expert Sam Francis from Bloomreach, who will provide industry insight, as well as draw on the biggest lessons from the most successful retailers over the all-important golden quarter.
You’ll discover:
- How consumers are discovering new brands and retailers
- The right marketing strategy to win hearts, minds and spend
- Advice from our expert panel with real-world examples of what works and what doesn’t
Watch the event on demand here
Meet our speakers
Adam Sopher, Co-founder and Chief Executive, Joe & Seph’s Gourmet Popcorn
Adam Sopher is Co-founder and CEO of Gourmet Popcorn brand Joe & Seph’s. Officially the best-tasting popcorn around with 80 Gold Great Taste Awards, Joe & Seph’s is revolutionising the UK popcorn market with its air-popped corn in a range of innovative flavours, from Goats Cheese & Black Pepper to Gin & Tonic to Marmite.
Now stocked in 3,000 stocking points across 19 countries, Joe & Seph’s is proud to supply customers including Waitrose, Ocado, Virgin Atlantic, Cineworld Cinemas, Claridges Hotel and many more.
Joe & Seph’s have been fortunate to win a number of awards including the Grocer Gold Award for Exporter of the Year, the FDF Exporter of the Year, the Grocer New Product Award and Sweets & Snacks Middle East Best New Product Award as well as most recently the Queens Award.
They launched the first official Marmite popcorn in partnership with Unilever, with previous brand collaborations also including BrewDog and Laurent Perrier. They’ve won plaudits from experts in the food and drink industry including Michelin Star Chefs Marcus Eaves, Michel & Alain Roux, Peter & Jonray Sanchez as well as Great British Bake Off Winner, Frances Quinn.
Katherine Davis, Chief Retail Officer, Matalan
Katherine Davis is Chief Retail Officer at Matalan, where she is responsible for executing the business’ retail strategy, both in the UK and internationally, with a focus on store development. Katherine also helps to oversee and drive Matalan’s culture, ensuring that the business is customer-first and colleague-led. She is also a member of the executive board.
Katherine is an experienced retail leader, having spent her career in operational roles across the retail, speciality, and hospitality sectors. She is highly skilled in delivering strategic growth projects, cost efficiency plans, and accelerating people strategies, while maintaining focus on the customer experience, as is fundamental to Matalan’s current transformation programme.
Katherine joined Matalan in July 2023 from Paperchase, where she was Global Retail Director for almost four years. Prior to this, Katherine served as Chief Operating Officer at Tebay Motorway Services, before which she led the Operations team at Pets at Home, supporting the company and its colleagues as it transitioned from family-owned to private equity-funded, before becoming a listed business. Katherine’s other retail experience includes M&S, where she spent nearly two decades, and George at Asda, where she worked during the era of its rapid expansion with Walmart.
Sam Francis, Director – Customer Success (EMEA), Bloomreach
Sam Francis is Director, Customer Success EMEA at Bloomreach, where she leads the strategy and execution of customer engagement, retention, and supporting growth initiatives across the region. Sam is responsible for ensuring that customers achieve maximum value from Bloomreach’s solutions, driving long-term partnerships and business success. She also plays a key role in shaping the customer-centric culture within the organization.
With extensive experience in customer success, Sam has a proven track record of delivering strategic growth initiatives, optimizing customer experience, and leading high-performing teams. Her expertise spans customer advocacy, retention strategies, digital marketing, and CRM, enabling brands to create personalized, data-driven customer experiences. Under her leadership, Sam and her team have achieved industry-leading gross retention rates, reinforcing a strong foundation of customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Sam joined Bloomreach in 2019 and has since played a pivotal role in driving customer success, fostering strategic partnerships, and enhancing customer retention across EMEA. Prior to this, she held leadership positions in global organizations, overseeing client services teams and focusing on customer engagement strategies and operational excellence. Her career spans the automotive, FMCG, retail, beauty, and government industries, where she has built a reputation for fostering strong customer relationships and driving impactful business outcomes.
Rebecca Taylor, Commercial Content Editor, Retail Week (host)
Rebecca Taylor is Retail Week’s Commercial Content Editor. She is responsible for helping to grow and deliver bespoke reports and events across themes from stores and the consumer to supply chains and tech.
With several years of experience in content-focused roles, Rebecca specialises in across-the-board brand engagement and storytelling. Rebecca has been recognised by the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) and Conference News with their respective 30 Under 30 awards and sat on the PPA’s Next Gen Board, which aims to encourage inclusivity of younger voices across the special interest media sector.
Venue
Online
