Mary Portas to open BRC Leaders Summer School in June
Retail expert and broadcaster Mary Portas will open the BRC Leaders Summer School this June.
Regarded as one of the UK’s most influential voices on retail and consumer behaviour, Portas, who presented the BBC series Mary Queen of Shops, will “set the tone for the BRC Learning flagship development programme”.
The sessions equip mid-level retail leaders to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape, shaped by shifting consumer priorities and changing shopping behaviours.
Portas will speak to retail delegates about the growing divide between retailers competing on price and operational efficiency alone, and those building long-term cultural relevance through values, community and purpose, described as “the difference between selling to people and truly connecting with them”.
Portas said: “The retailers planting roots right now in their communities are the ones who’ll still be standing in ten years. The ones still asking how cheap, how fast, how much can we squeeze out, are running a different race entirely.
“Summer School is exactly where that honest conversation needs to happen, and I’m looking forward to being part of it.”
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), added: “Authentic, agile leadership is more important than ever. In a world of fast-moving trends, geopolitical volatility, and rising costs, uncertainty is the only guarantee.
“Mary has built her career anticipating the structural shifts before the wider industry catches up, which is why I am so pleased she will open our 2026 Summer School leadership programme.
“She sets the exact tone we need for leaders of the future: thoughtful, challenging, and rooted in a clear vision of what great retailing looks like.”
As founder of creative consultancy Portas, and a “pioneer of modern visual merchandising”, Mary Portas has spent four decades shaping how the UK shops. From her early role transforming Harvey Nichols, to government-commissioned reviews of the British high street, she has consistently argued that “retail is a reflection of how society is feeling, and a force that can influence it”.
BRC Learning is the development arm of the BRC. It runs various programmes for retail leaders at every stage of their career, including BRC Leaders Summer School, Retail Masters, Leadership Essentials, and Commercial Acumen for Retail Managers.
The BRC Leaders Summer School has helped develop and train over 20,000 managers and leaders in the retail industry.
Vicki Young, Head of Learning at BRC, said: “Summer School is built around the belief that the best retail leaders are made through challenge, exposure to different thinking, and time to step back from the day job.
“Opening the week with Mary signals to every leader who joins us that this isn't a programme that will let them coast. She is going to make them question some of the assumptions they walked in with - which is exactly what great development should do.”
Other speakers at the BRC Leaders Summer School this year include Paul Anderson-Walsh (Enolla Consulting), Alicia Carey (Hawkwood College), Evelina Dzimanaviciute (Elite Mind), Erinch Sahan (DEAL), Rob Ben Jackson (Wickes), Ruth Andrade and Ramsha Khan (LUSH), Dan Jenkins (Timpson), Becky West (Pret), Rob Sutton (Trueplace Consulting), Debbie Frearson (Thrive), Christian Jermyn (Seasalt Cornwall) and Dan Craig (Retail Trust).
The BRC Summer School 2026 takes place from 6 June to 29 July, both in-person and online, with applications closing on 8 May.
