Key takeaways from Retail Technology Show 2025

Steve Hewitt (Former CEO, Gymshark): Building with purpose

Steve Hewitt shared an honest, energetic view into what it takes to scale a brand like Gymshark from £4 million to £1 billion. His philosophy was refreshingly simple but powerful: leadership’s superpower is accessibility. Spending time with teams across the business, not just the leadership group, is critical.

Hewitt also reinforced the importance of culture, stressing that “you’d rather have a hole in the business than an asshole.” In today’s cluttered apparel world, differentiation goes beyond product — it’s about building a community, telling authentic stories and knowing exactly why and for whom you exist. Grit, values and standards aren’t just nice-to-haves; they’re essentials for sustainable growth.

Mohsen Ghasempour (Group AI Director, Kingfisher): Practical AI, not hype

Kingfisher is the owner of B&Q, Screwfix and Castorama, with Mohsen spearheading the group’s AI efforts across these well-known brands. In his talk he hammered home a key principle: AI is a tool, not a mission.

Mohsen showcased real-world applications where AI is quietly but powerfully enhancing customer experiences. From B&Q’s personalized product search to Screwfix’s image-based product matching (‘Screwfix Lens’) and Castorama’s virtual DIY assistant powered by GenAI, they’re improving the customer experience without getting lost in buzzwords.

Crucially, Kingfisher operates a ‘build and buy’ model — developing bespoke AI tools when it gives them a strategic edge and buying off-the-shelf when scale demands it. As a group, they believe that AI should be integrated into a set of gears powering the business — not the engine itself.

Barry Panayi (Chief Data and Insight Officer, John Lewis): Start small, think big

Rather than chasing shiny AI projects, Barry stressed the importance of using data to make operational improvements; blend insight and research teams, speak to teams on the ground rather than relying solely on data, and get the basics done right. 

Early AI use cases at John Lewis aren’t necessarily the most glamorous, but are incredibly effective. Barry’s team has focused on optimizing supply chain efficiency, loading delivery trucks in a smarter way and improving website search functionality (e.g., customers are able to surface all ‘red dress’ options rather than the hard coded search results).He pointed out that the money is in operational excellence — not customer-facing experiments — and urged retailers to “not have eyes bigger than their organization’s bellies.”

In the future, as natural language models mature, he predicts customer interactions will shift dramatically. Think AI personal shoppers and marketing increasingly targeted not at humans but at bots buying on their behalf. 

Joe Wicks MBE: Authenticity wins

A big part of our lives during lockdown, Joe Wicks — a.k.a. The Body Coach — brought a different kind of energy to the conference. He reminded us that, technology and AI aside, human connection still reigns supreme.

Joe’s success, he said, stemmed from a simple commitment: helping people by giving away value for free. Authenticity, not algorithms, built his community. He warned against chasing followers and scale; true engagement comes from support, realness and showing the ‘messy’ side of life.

As attention spans shrink, Joe emphasized that brands have milliseconds to make an impression — but that should never come at the expense of staying genuine. Build trust, stay patient and success will follow.

Wrapping up

The Retail Technology Show 2025 confirmed it: the future belongs to brands that combine operational excellence with authentic connection. Whether it’s AI powering smarter retail operations or storytelling building loyalty, the winners will be those who stay practical, focused and human.

At Peak, we’re helping retailers use AI to work smarter, serve customers better and build brand loyalty. Get in touch if you’re keen to learn more.