Retail Lunch 2026

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/

David is a highly experienced Retail Development Director and is a well-known senior leader within the Retail Sector with + 35 years’ experience having worked for companies such as Allders Duty Free, Arcadia and House Of Fraser where he was Group Store Development Director for over 15 years.

He has a proven track record in Space Planning, Design & Build, Project & Cost Management & has worked with over 250 Major brands advising on new innovative thinking and has led over 20 Department Stores new store & refurbishment projects

He is the founder & MD of Phygital Retail Limited since 2018 helping brands such as Radley, Gieves & Hawkes, Kurt Geiger, Aspinal, & Nadine Merabi and is currently heading up the refurbishment project of the iconic Jollys of Bath Department Store on behalf of Morley’s Group which reopens in March 2027

He’s won several Retail Industry awards, been a speaker at many Retail Conferences and currently sits on the Twenty Club committee, which is a Senior Retail Leaders dining club.

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.

Dr Abbie Iveson is a Lecturer in Marketing at Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester. Her research focuses on the role of the human in the marketplace: how firms and consumers relate to one another, and how social psychological processes such as vulnerability, authenticity, humour, and trust shape those relationships.

Within this stream, her current work examines how consumers understand and respond to AI, and how AI is changing relationships within organisations, including how human employees are perceived and treated when working alongside AI systems.

Abbie teaches a master’s course on Current Topics in Digital Marketing, covering topics such as AI, digital consumer behavior, immersive realities, and digital consumption in today’s marketplace.