Retail Lunch 2025

I am  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 currently Centre Director at Manchester Arndale, a position he has held for 10 years. He is also Chair of CityCo, the management company that represents over 1000 city centre businesses.

His career started in London, working for Bass and involved running bars, hotels and restaurants in the City of London before a move into the aviation sector with BAA at Gatwick, and as part of the development team for Heathrow’s Terminal 5.

The move North was brought about by taking up the position of Head of Commercial Development at Manchester Airports Group, which was responsible from all income from retail and car parks right through to the refuelling of aircraft.

The shopping centre sector move came in 2006 taking up the role of General Manager with Lend Lease for the redevelopment of the Golden Square shopping centre in Warrington, before moving down the M56 to Manchester Arndale.

Rosie joined the Grafton Group in 2022 into a newly established role. She has worked in sustainability for 15 years working in large companies across a range of consumer goods including, food, general merchandise and clothing. She has previously advised a number of large retailers on adopting sustainable practices, among them, John Lewis plc and the Boohoo group. She has worked with many business departments and aims to make sustainability practical and relevant to all, cutting through the jargon and helping develop pragmatic ideas and solutions. Rosie brings her unique insight and wide-ranging expertise in strategy, governance, supply chain analysis, human rights, social impact and performance management to the panel.

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.

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.