Independent Thinking - Exploring a new era for retail and the high street
A podcast exploring a new era for the high street - we discuss how bricks and mortar retail is evolving across the UK, and why the 'death of the high street' is far from inevitable. Join us as we go behind the scenes of inspiring retailers and shops you love, speak to industry experts making their predictions for the future, and hear from those at the heart of it all, sharing stories about how they started, how they continue to evolve and why they believe in their local high street.
Episodes
44 episodes
"It's just headsets, innit?" - How the Metaverse will revolutionise retail and change the way we see our high streets with IBM's Mary Wallace
We've all heard the term Metaverse by now, but what is does it actually mean? What could it mean for how we do business or how we shop, for example? How we interact with brands? Will it be detrimental to bricks and mortar...
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Season 6
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Episode 6
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1:07:03
Taking the power back: why the future of town centres is in our hands with Professor Leigh Sparks
This week we're talking the power of localism, collaboration in retail and why a bleak future isn't inevitable for the high street, as we sit down in conversation with Professor Leigh Sparks - Professor of Retail studies and Deputy Principal of...
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Season 6
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Episode 5
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36:31
Elasticated waists and unfriendly greetings [cards] : Why it's time to rethink attitudes to ageing in retail
This week, we’re continuing our look at industry wide trends and the retail sector as a whole, as we speak to Ailsa Forbes, Retail Impact Fellow at International Longevity Centre UK. Founded in 1997, the ILC is the only specialist thinktank of ...
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Season 6
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Episode 4
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36:11
Why we can't give up on our high streets with Andrew Goodacre, CEO of British Independent Retailers Association
We’re kicking off this series in discussion with Andrew Goodacre, CEO of British Independent Retailers Association, BIRA - who have been supporting independent retailers for over 120 years. They have an incredible overview of the sector, speaki...
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Season 6
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Episode 3
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41:10
Christmas Special: Celebrating independents, last minute shopping and debunking hustle culture with Curate Glasgow
This is the second of our Christmas themed episodes, as we sit down with Kate from Curate Glasgow, an online discovery platform for independents, that enables them to share their work with new audiences, and helps people like you and me discove...
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Season 6
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Episode 2
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33:31
Christmas Special: A toast to independent whisky shops with Woven Whisky
A cheeky festive special before the new series kicks off in the new year! And what better way to kick off proceedings that by chatting all things whisky - a drink that so many of us toast with at Hogmanay, or treat others to as a pr...
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Season 6
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Episode 1
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35:02
What does a post-pandemic recovery look like for our high streets? with Centre for Cities
And just like that, we're at the end of series 5! To round off then, today we’re speaking to Valentine from Centre for Cities, a leading think tank dedicated to the prosperity of the UK’s towns and cities, who conduct a huge amount...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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41:23
Books, Bath and beyond - chatting 'extreme customer service' and bucking retail trends with bookshop Mr B’s Emporium
There are few places you can escape reality better (on the high street at least) than in a bookshop. Shelves filled with history, memoirs, adventure, sadness, scandal and delight; wonder, joy, pleasure and heartbreak. Books can transport us to ...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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49:12
Leaps of faith and wisdom nuggets with The Business Proposal Podcast
Three podcast hosts for the price of one! This week we have a very special collab episode with the Business Proposal Podcast as we speak to hosts Ellie Kime and Rachel Emma Waring all about our love of small business and winding pa...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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1:01:41
The power of the pen: making a mark in business with leading stationers Papersmiths
This week, just in time for those Back to School and fresh pencil case vibes, I’m delighted to be in conversation with Sidonie from Papersmiths, a ‘stationery shop of your dreams’ with branches in London and Brighton. Sido...
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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47:26
Stories behind the shopfronts: Celebrating high street culture with Historic England
After a slightly longer break than planned - we are BACK! And what a series opener we have for you...If you've ever reminisced about teenage days spent lolling around your town centre and the role your high street played in growing up, ...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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44:19
Tattie Wagons, early starts and pushing piccalilli: A year in the life of gourmet grocers Food by Nourish
In the last episode of this series, this week we’re speaking to Food by Nourish, a gourmet grocer and deli, based in South Lanarkshire. Created by friends Greg and Richard, the business started life in a humble van (the Tattie Wagon) deli...
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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45:30
The art of being a buyer, true customer connection, and thoughtful retail design with Restoration Yard
This week, we are joined by Taisir Gibreel, Head of Retail at Restoration Yard, the winner of Best Store Design award at Draper's Independent's Awards 2021. Taisir speaks about how she's brought her years of experience as a designer to st...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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37:15
Reasons to be cheerful...Christmas planning, innovation and driving positive change in retail with Dr Sarah Montano
Now, it’s fair to say this year has thrown its fair amount of challenges at retailers. Covid restrictions, Brexit.. just to name two hugely important factors this year of course. But to this we can add; wider global economic uncertainty, global...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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57:18
Revisited: Transformative partnerships, taking a brand to the next level, and living fearlessly with Bon Tot
This episode was brought to you by Rebecca, Elaine and Natalie who have kindly pledged their support for the show through Patreon! Hello to you all - you have my eternal gratitude and are helping keep this show on the road!This week we h...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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51:35
A rare treat for retail - bringing a subscription service to life with Rare Birds Books
This week, we are speaking to Rare Birds Books founder, Rachel. Rare Birds Book Club started life as a subscription service, created by Rachel to fill a gap in the market - offering a hand-picked selection of women’s literature to shake up your...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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49:59
Exploring sustainability and collective action in retail, with ethical textile atelier Bawn: A COP 26 Special
Our first guest of the series is a special to coincide with COP 26, the UN Climate Change Conference which, if you’re listening to this on the day of release, started yesterday in Glasgow. So, who better to talk to than a business based in the ...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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52:00
East Coast Cured on the power of local: resilience, optimism and community spirit
Just like that, we're at the end of series 3! We'll off on our summer break, but worry not - we'll be back before you know it with more stories from independents across Scotland in the Autumn! Before we go though, we are delighted ...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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49:47
Summer special: Putting quality at the heart of your business and opening your first retail space with Joe from gelato makers, Joelato
There has been much talk about the new St James Quarter that opened in Edinburgh last month, and a huge amount of discussion and excitement about their food market - Bonnie & Wild. We’ll be discussing the wider development in more depth nex...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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40:08
New beginnings in business with Jo & Georgina of Jeffrey's Interiors
This week, as we continue to look at partnerships in small business - we’re chatting to Jo and Georgina from Edinburgh-based interior designer company - Jeffrey’s Interiors, who have recently completed a management buyout from the original owne...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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53:36
What next for empty department stores? with the Twentieth Century Society
The department store has, in many ways, had one of the most tumultuous journeys of all, of those on the High Street. Whilst some key players in the sector are seeking to innovate and fast - in terms of new ranges, refurbishments of key si...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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31:09
At the heart of the High Street - chatting charity retail with Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland
This week, as we explore other stories from our evolving high street, we're chatting all things charity shops. We all know the pressures that non-essential retail has been under this past year, but what about the impact on a sector ...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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57:06
Pop ups and polar expeditions: Adventures in retail with sustainable clothing brand, Meander
Welcome back! As we explore more partnerships in business, today I’m joined by another husband and wife team - Jill and Steve from Meander. Meander is a sustainable clothing brand, passionate about making outdoor clothing more acces...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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40:56
Opening Aeble, Scotland's first cider shop and taking the leap into retail with Grant & Jaye Hutchison
Hello and welcome back to Independent Thinking. Thank you so much for your comments about our first episodes of the series so far, they both seem to really have resonated with you, which is what we’re all about! This week, we contin...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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54:06
From Century General Store with love - care packages, paying it forward and putting compassion at the heart of your business
Today, I am delighted to be joined by a business who has been name checked a number of times in our past series - Nadia and Stevie from Century General Store. The past year has been a time of significant change for them, not least in them choos...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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58:38