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Diane Wehrle CEO at Rendle Intelligence and Insights joins Simon for their monthly chat

We take a look at May’s retail and economic signals, where the mood stays low but the sales numbers finally lift. We tease out how heat, online shopping, and where people choose to spend time reshape the outlook for high streets, retail parks, and seaside towns.
• Consumer confidence stuck at minus 23 on the GfK index
• Unemployment improving slightly to 4.8%
• Retail sales rising year on year across BRC and ONS measures
• Online spending driving much of the uplift, especially in non-food
• Fashion outperforming food on value growth, with different online shares
• Footfall declining overall, with retail parks holding up better than high streets and shopping centres
• How extreme heat changes destination choice and town centre comfort
• Lessons from the US out-of-town, climate-controlled shopping model
• Hospitality and fast fashion adapting quickly to weather-driven demand
• Summer trading patterns by location, with seaside towns relying on August like Christmas

📅 Save the Date! Join us live at the Productivity Forum on 10th September in Birmingham.

🎟️ Secure your spot: ReThink Forum 2026

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What separates guesswork from actual, sustainable efficiency? Professional training.

In this episode, our resident experts—Sue, Simon & James—are joined by special guest Phil to break down why credible productivity work must start with the right foundations.

They dive into how the ReThink Academy is shaping the next generation of industry experts through our four core courses:

• Introduction to Productivity – Building the baseline
• Work Study – Measuring the essentials
• Method Study – Designing smarter workflows
• Labour Modelling – Optimising your workforce

Ready to level up your team's capabilities?

🌐 Explore the Academy: ReTime Academy

📅 Save the Date! Join us live at the Productivity Forum on 10th September in Birmingham.

🎟️ Secure your spot: ReThink Forum 2026

#theproductivityexperts
Register for the 2026 Productivity Forum
Download a copy of our first ReThink Productivity Retail Report
Connect to Simon on LinkedIn
Follow ReThink on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

Diane Wehrle CEO at Rendle Intelligence and Insights joins Simon for their monthly chat

April’s numbers look grim on the surface, but Easter timing shifts spending into March and distorts the year on year story. We discuss the real signals behind falling footfall and softer sales, then ask what rising costs and uncertainty are doing to jobs, confidence and everyday choices.
• Easter timing and strong comparables shaping the headline results
• Footfall declines across high street, shopping centres and retail parks
• BRC sales turning negative and what that suggests about demand
• Beauclair town-centre spend falling with discretionary categories hit hardest
• Inflation cooling overall while hospitality and transport stay high
• The “how expensive is too expensive” question and what markets will bear
• Unemployment at 5% with much higher youth unemployment
• Wages keeping pace with inflation for those in work
• Consumer confidence staying low and driving caution
• Experiences still winning over material purchases

#theproductivityexperts
Register for the 2026 Productivity Forum
Download a copy of our first ReThink Productivity Retail Report
Connect to Simon on LinkedIn
Follow ReThink on LinkedIn