Clare Rayner

Clare Rayner, The Retail Champion, is one of the most well-known and respected retail experts in the UK, championing for the success and sustainability of smaller, independent retailers and suppliers to retail. A child born into a family of retailers and entrepreneurs, she is passionate about retail and business: it is in her blood. Clare started out as a fast-track graduate store management trainee for McDonalds and went on to work with leading retailers such as M&S, Dixons and Argos. She moved swiftly into management roles before being headhunted into senior consulting roles with global software giant SAP, and international management consulting brand, Accenture. Clare is engaged by clients as a retail consultant, retail speaker and retail mentor. In 2011 she was invited to launch Independent Retailer Month in the UK, a global 'Shop Local' campaign which runs throughout July. She is founder and host of 'The Retail Conference', a highly respected annual retail industry event. In 2012, due to her support of smaller businesses and entrepreneurs, Clare was invited to become one of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) “Real-Life Entrepreneur Champions”. Clare is a frequent media contributor, regularly featured on BBC TV News, various radio broadcasts, within trade press and digital media, commenting on a wide range of retail and consumer topics. Her retail business book, 'The Retail Champion: 10-steps to Retail Success', was published by Kogan Page on 3rd July 2012. Her 2nd book, 'How to Sell to Retail: The Secrets of Getting Your Product to Market', also published by Kogan Page, will be available from 3rd February 2013.