Retail Lunch 2026
Save the date for pro-manchester's annual retail lunch during which we will look at how some retailers have succeeded against this climate, how others have struggled and what can be learnt from both. We will also look forward to the current year, discussing developing trends in the sector and how these may align with anticipated consumer behaviours.
Panel 1: Heritage & Community: Balancing the soul of legacy brands with the curation of modern, hyper-local shopping experiences by exploring how historic retailers can maintain their core identity while embedding themselves into the unique cultural fabric of local neighborhoods.
Panel 2: Marketing Efficiency: Moving past the AI hype to leverage predictive tech for hyper-personalisation and measurable ROI in an era where budgets are tight and consumers demand absolute relevance, forcing marketers to separate flashy trends from scalable, bottom-line growth.
About the Speakers:
Lauren Somers is a UK Chartered Trade Mark and Designs Attorney. She helps businesses from multinationals to start-ups to identify, protect and enforce their intellectual property rights. Lauren is co-chair of the pro-manchester Retail & E-commence committee and has particular experience and expertise advising retailers.
I am an alumnus of Alliance Manchester Business School and received a prestigious corporate PhD scholarship from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. It was during my master’s degree at Alliance Manchester Business School and a project on consumer behaviour that I really fell in love with the deep understanding of how consumers tick, the way they respond, shift and change.
I teach consumer behaviour and strategic marketing to apprenticeships, undergraduates and managers of leading household brands, MBAs from a huge cross section of industries, Government and public sector. I contribute to consumer behaviour, consumption practices and retailing research, publish in leading academic journals and present at conferences.
I am a ‘go-to’ consumer behaviour and retailing media expert, speaking to national and international media, key institutions and major retail brands. I regularly contribute to media, including BBC, ITV, Channel 5, BBC Radio and The Conversation. You will often find me commenting on Channel 5 retailing documentaries on leading brands, most recently on Deliveroo, Tesco, Primark, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury, TK Maxx, Aldi, Subway and Coca-Cola. As a respected and trusted source, with an engaging personality, I have contributed to over 200 appearances to date across TV, radio and print.
I am a public speaker and presenter at national & international events & conferences and a panellist for events, known for conveying complex ideas with simplicity to really engage, educate and inspire an audience.
Linked in – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-amna-k-6b639b1b/
Hanna is a Trade Mark Attorney at HGF Limited with over five years of in-depth experience providing specialist services across the full spectrum of trade marks, copyright, and designs. She is also skilled in advisory and contentious work pertaining to online enforcement matters, including, social media takedowns, infringement disputes on e-commerce platforms, domain name disputes and company name complaints. She is a member of the HGF Retail Team, having experience acting for and advising retailers.
Interested In The Event?
If you’re interested in attending, you can book online here.
