Mary Portas set to launch BRC's Summer School 100th Anniversary

Brand and retail expert Mary Portas, Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Portas, will open the British Retail Consortium's Summer School this June, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the event.

Portas will speak to around 100 retail delegates about how the future of retail requires not only striving for profit, but also connecting to consumers’ values of people and planet. It is not the first time she has spoken at the Summer School, having previously delivered the keynote speech to retail delegates in 1995.

The BRC Leaders Summer School has helped develop and train over 20,000 managers and leaders in the retail industry. On 6 June 2023, BRC Learning will launch the 2023 Emerging Leaders and Transforming Leaders courses at Ashridge House, Berkhamsted.

The Summer School revolves around four lenses of People, Planet, Profit and Purpose, and aims to shift delegates mindset around these concepts. It aims to show future retail leaders that there are alternative ways to do business that can allow them to deliver on all four lenses.

Mary Portas said: “I honestly believe this is the most exciting time I’ve seen for retail in years. Yes. There are challenges. But we are also seeing the best of innovation as new players come to market and older ones reinvent. Independent retails is as full of creativity as ever. And more and more retailers understand that the future is not a simple goal of selling stuff, but connecting to the conscious values of people and planet as well as striving for profit. There is so much potential for us to unlearn the old ways and create a new – more beautiful - set of rules for ourselves.”

Lucy Crowther, Director of BRC Learning, commented: “The BRC Summer School provides delegates with future-focused content covering critical trends and topics across the four lenses of people, planet, profit and purpose. We are excited to have Mary Portas opening proceedings and setting a positive and inspiring tone for the whole course. Our delegates are the future leaders of the retail industry, and our programmes help them navigate the complexities of being an authentic, inclusive leader and the ever-changing industry landscape"