Published: 24 March 2026
Summary
Trade shows don’t have to feel like miles of carpet and the same stand every ten yards. We sat down with Matt Bradley, the driving force behind the Retail Technology Show (RTS), to unpack how RTS rebuilt momentum, turned community into a differentiator, and made the conference agenda map directly to solutions on the show floor. From a disco theme that sets the tone, to a floorplan designed for discovery, the RTS event puts energy and clarity at the heart of retail innovation.
Matt walks us through the arc from Retail Business Technology Expo to Retail Expo and the hard reset after COVID, then explains how visitor research now shapes almost every decision. Start-ups get pride of place with the Start-up Safari moved to the front, giving buyers a faster path to fresh ideas. We dig into why cyber security now sits at the top of the agenda; retailers hold vast data, attackers are more sophisticated, and resilience must be a board-level commitment. Expect practical playbooks, not platitudes.
We spotlight major sessions and guests: Archie Norman returns with a very different conversation after a tumultuous year, and Carrefour joins with Vusion to share hard-won lessons on the connected store, from ESLs to data-driven pricing. You’ll also hear how founders like Grace Beverley and Marisa Poster are rewriting growth rules with community, brand, and product velocity. Across AI, retail media, loyalty, and CX, the thread is the same: pair real problems with ready solutions, and make it easy to act.
Ready to plan your visit? RTS lands at London’s ExCeL on April 22–23, with free registration for retailers. If this conversation helped you spot a must-see session or exhibitor, share with your team to help others find the show.
Transcript
Host: 00:03
Welcome to What’s in the Box, the brand new podcast brought to you by BOXTEC, powering retail with purpose. BOXTEC delivers innovative and market leading customer engagement solutions that turn business ideas into a performing reality. From design and integration to ongoing support and maintenance, we’re with you every step of the way. Now, this podcast might be a little different to what you’re used to. It’s audio only, and our guests love that. It’s completely unscripted, honest, and it’s around about 20 minutes because we’re busy. Our guests certainly are, and we’re sure you are too. So let’s get right into it. My guest today is it says here, a prominent figure. No, he really is a prominent figure in the retail industry, and is primarily known for his leadership of the Retail Technology Show (RTS). So I’m sure that you guessed who it is already. And he’s built that to become the UK’s biggest event dedicated to the future of retail, hospitality and leisure. His insights bridge strategy and execution, making him a trusted voice in the retail landscape, which has seen him appear in countless retail, top retail expert and influencer lists. He is a passionate advocate for future-proofing the legacy of the retail sector and protecting our people. It is an absolute pleasure to welcome Matt Bradley to What’s in the Box? Thank you. I love that intro. Thank you very much. Well, I think you wrote it. I think yeah. No, it’s all true. And um, yeah, everybody, I’m sure, who’s listening into this, we all we all know and love you, Matt. And so this episode, we’re going to talk about the Retail Technology Show. What else is there to talk about? But before we get into that, just give us a little bit of an overview, a little bit of the background, the history. I’ve been working with you for a number of years now, and I remember it before you and Nineteen Group took it over. So tell us just a little bit about the sort of journey you’ve been on before we talk about this year’s show.
Matt Bradley: 02:11
I think you know that I suppose the best starting point would be the journey of retail tech shows.
Matt Bradley: 02:15
In general in this industry. I mean, before my time, the two big ones were the Retail Solutions Show, which I think had been at the NEC for multiple years, then the Retail Business Show, run by Mark Pigou and Paul Bessum, which was at Olympia. And for various reasons that we don’t need to go into now, they sort of departed from the sector, leaving quite a big gap. I think a lot of people say in those times technology wasn’t moving that quickly, particularly in the retail sector. And I think really I came along with two business partners and looked at the gap. One of my business partners had been running something similar in Asia, and we’re talking 2010 at this point, and thought, you know, it feels like there needs to be a show. And the one thing that had changed between the last Retail Solution Show and the start of what was then called Retail Business Technology Expo (RTBE) was an iPhone had come along, which had completely revolutionized how we shop, and had been the marker for a lot of retail change. We really tried to get under the skin of the industry and become part of that community. We still do, but there was some really fortunate timing on our behalf. That gap in the market appeared, the technology was really fast moving and ever-changing, and there was a real demand for a show, both from the retailers who were trying to keep up, and of course, the suppliers that were constantly evolving their technology. I wanted to get that in front of that audience. So, over, I suppose about six or seven years, we built that up until we sold the business to Reed. I went along with Reed, helped run that, as we renamed it the Retail Expo, until eventually COVID completely demolished all of our dreams. And we had to pull the plug. Nineteen Group approached me and said, we think this is a great idea, we’d like to invest in it, which they did, and they’ve been fantastic backers alongside us.
Matt Bradley: 04:20
The private equity company Phoenix and the Retail Technology Show was born in 2022 and has gone from strength to strength. So yeah, that’s where we are now.
Host: 04:33
It has, and the thing that’s always stood out for me is the energy which you and your team put into it. There’s a lot of social media pre-show, and you really seem to have done something that’s different to the other conferences and expos and shows. It is that something that comes from your enthusiasm, your drive, or is it the also the team that you built around you?
Matt Bradley: 05:08
Yeah, I think a bit of both, really. I think initially it would come from me, but the team are on board and they’re part of that journey, and they are as creative and as enthusiastic, certainly, as I am. And I think it really comes born from a desire to do the very best for the industry. We feel very fortunate to be the, I hate this word, but we’ll use it, the flagship show. And we take that responsibility very seriously. You know, we’ve got a huge amount of exhibitors that rely on us to give them that route to market, and we’ve got a huge amount of retailers that want to know how to solve some of the issues that are facing them today. So that, but we do live by the mantra that that shows or trade shows, which I hate that term as well, they don’t have to be boring. They don’t have to be miles and miles of carpet space with the same stand now every 10 yards. So we try to inject some life. We want people to want to come to our show, not feel they have to come to our show. Because when you want to do something, you tend to love it a lot more and you’ll come back. So we don’t want people waking up on that Wednesday morning going, Oh god, I’ve got to go to the Retail Technology Show today. We want people jumping out of it. I don’t know whether they are, but that’s certainly what we drive to try to achieve.
Host: 06:23
For me, it’s become a real community. I think that, from all the feedback that I get, people do want to come to it. So from that point of view, I think it’s an incredible achievement. Let’s talk about this year’s show, and for the people listening to this, I’m sure you know when and where, but we will confirm that at the end of the podcast. But the theme this year, okay, so Disco. Tell us about that and what we might expect. And of course, I’m speaking from BOXTEC headquarters, and we’re pleased and look really looking forward to having a stand at the show. And of course, we were talking before that this is Bee Gees Country, literally where I’m sat, Robin Gibb, I used to live about two miles down the road. So we’re certainly up for the disco theme.
Matt Bradley: 07:20
Yes, we try and bring a theme every year, we try and give it some identity. Again, it’s about fun. You know, we work on this show for the entire year, it takes up a huge amount of time, so we want to be enjoying it while we’re doing it. We want to have some fun. It’s a very serious industry, but it’s also a fun, exciting and vibrant industry, and we try and inject some of that fun into the show. RTS tries to reflect what retail is. If you go into John Lewis or a Selfridge’s or a Hamley’s store or anything like that. There’s life, and they try and bring that life to their customers and in influence that experience. And it would be remiss of us not to try and match that in in an exhibition that is meant to represent that industry. So yes, the disco theme is a lot of fun. We had a carnival theme last year for our first show in Excel, and it went down really, really well. I was surprised by how many of the exhibitors got on board with that, with the dressing of their stands, etc., and some of the fun stuff that you could do. But it was really well received. And probably one of the challenges we face is trying to come up with something that is different but also exciting and unique the following year. And, I’ll be honest, I had a couple of ideas. I’m already thinking about RTS 2027, and I presented them to the team and said, look, just choose out of these three. And it was brutal. They said, look, we didn’t like any of them. So, it’s all great being the boss and the leader, but when the whole team says they’re all terrible, then you’ve just got to take that one on the chin and go, okay, right. And we have Claudia who works on our marketing team, I think she’d only been at the business for a few weeks, and she said, I’ve had an idea and put this presentation together of disco and it was brilliant. And so she will get the credit for the theme this year. Good for her, came from the mind of Claudia. So yeah, we’ve got a few surprises lined up at the show as always, and we’re very, very excited. Outfit pending.
Host: 09:22
Outfit pending, yes. I’ve already got my eye on a glittery jacket to wear. It’s normally just for the weekends. So yeah, looking forward to that. So, okay, disco theme. Now, we’ve got obviously the expo floor and the conference. We’ll come on to some of the Hosts in a little bit, but what can we expect you from the expo floor and the conference? And last year it was, I mean, you filled, I can’t remember how many halls at Excel, but it seemed that it was pretty packed.
Matt Bradley: 10:02
Yes, and it will be the same again this year. You know, there’s a real demand and drive from the industry to be part of this show, and we’re trying to reflect that as much as possible. We’re trying to get the right people in. We’ve worked very hard this year to try and reflect on the show floor the companies that can resolve the issues that will be spoken about within the conference. So, I think in the past there has been some criticism, and I think we’ll probably have to take that one on the chin, that some of the themes are being discussed in the conference. Retailers were walking out and going, okay, well, who’s going to help me resolve that? And actually, the suppliers not being on the floor to be able to enable that. We’ve worked really hard to ensure that we’ve had the conference theme set up relatively early this year, earlier than previous, and the sales team, the commercial team, have been pushed very hard to say, okay, reflect that themes or those themes on the floor. So you’re going to see a lot of new exhibitors that we haven’t seen previously; there’s a huge focus on innovation. The start-up safari or the start-up Superstars, which is an incredibly popular feature of the show, always has been, has been moved directly to the front of the show, backed purely from visitor demand. And a lot of our decisions are, I say a lot, pretty much all of our decisions are based upon visitor research. We cannot do this show without the input of the experts and the input that people that are going through those challenges currently. So expect around, I don’t know, it could be close to 500, maybe? I don’t know. When you take people that have multiple companies on one booth, then yes, maybe it will be close to 500 suppliers. Wow. Yes, some features are like a lot of start-up companies because we have a preferential rate if you’re a start-up company, because we want to ensure they are the lifeblood and the future of this industry. So we want to make sure we’ve got that platform. Plus, the retailers really want to know what’s new out there and what those guys are, working out of their bedrooms right now, don’t have a huge amount of budget, but have still got something that could really make a difference to what a retailer’s doing. Plus, likes to yourselves at BOXTEC and some of the key traditional suppliers that we know and love that are always innovating. I’ve got some phenomenal RD departments that are the lifeblood of that industry. So yes, expect to see a lot more exhibitors showcasing a lot more technology that will reflect the issues that retailers are challenged by at the moment.
Host: 12:40
Tell us a bit about the conference. As I mentioned earlier, we’ll come on to the Hosts in a little bit, but the sort of tracks that you’ve got. I think you were telling me that you’ve got one on cyber security, is that right?
Matt Bradley: 12:53
Yes, again, reflecting what’s going on in the industry. You know, as an industry, we hold so much data. And that we need to use that in the right ways. We use that because of the influx in the in e-commerce, and obviously that was accelerated due to COVID, but that also makes us incredibly vulnerable as never before, I don’t think we’ve ever seen as much vulnerability as we’ve seen this year, or perhaps those vulnerabilities exposed. So that has to take a huge precedent at the show this year. Retailers know someone’s going to be next; there’s absolutely no doubt about it. No one wants it to be them. And a lot of the stories that we’ve seen, they’re the stories that have made the media. I speak to retailers all the time that have had cyber attacks, but have managed to keep it out of the press. So this is going on every day, and the cyber criminals are getting more and more sophisticated. The challenge is not going away, and we need to be equipped in order to deal with it as best as possible. Because, as I said, somebody’s going to be next, and I don’t want to I keep using the word next. That’s not an inference that it is going to be the retailer Next. But certainly retail is a prime target for cyber criminals right now.
Host: 14:13
It is sadly. Yes, I’ve got to say, I remember from my days as a retailer, a Kingfisher Superdrug, it was hard to get approval for something, for CapEx approval for something if it didn’t directly drive sales, add to the bottom line, that sort of thing. And yes, it’s just a sad truth that it is part of the mentality, I think, but hopefully that that is changing.
Matt Bradley: 14:43
I don’t think that’s gone away. I think I’ve been speaking to a lot of people that have had attacks, they all talk about the importance of getting the Board on-board as early as possible. The mass media coverage of the likes of Land Rover and obviously M&S and stuff like that, hopefully has brought this to the boardroom table. And I think it probably has in a lot of cases, but there will be cases that it simply hasn’t, and like you say, it’s CapEx expense, and I don’t know.
Host: 15:16
Yes, anyway, let’s move on. Getting back to the show. What else have you got that we can expect? You talked about the start-up hub. We’ve got the French retail tech hub.
Matt Bradley: 15:25
Yes, that’s fantastic because it gives us an opportunity to bring what’s really innovative in France over to here, and they’ve got some incredible companies, they really are. They are just very exciting, they are outside of the box thinkers. And some of their tech because we run our innovation awards, anyone who’s an exhibitor can enter, and then we choose the top ten finalists; it goes to a judgment panel of people to choose the top ten finalists. And more often than not, a lot of those French start-up companies are on the list. So I expect to see some really groundbreaking stuff with those guys. But yes, the French start-up pavilion is always a very exciting part for me.
Host: 16:14
Yes, absolutely. And probably I don’t want to give them a plug, but I will because I’m just constantly amazed by what the guys at Vusion are doing. And because I’m totally bought into that whole concept of the what I call a “connected store”. And of course, we saw recently from when we’re recording this podcast the announcement with Carrefour, and I think it’s going to change the whole face of particularly grocery shopping.
Matt Bradley: 16:51
So I’ll give you an exclusive that nobody knows. With the help of Fusion, we’re going to have Carrefour on stage talking about the connected store.
Host: 17:01
Wow. Okay, so What’s in the box has got an exclusive. Now that is one session to definitely go to. Okay, so talking about hosts, you’ve got Archie Norman coming back. Now I think this is the first time you’ve done this. Tell us about this.
Matt Bradley: 17:21
Yes, it is the first time I’ve ever done it. And it was on my mind that when Archie spoke last year, firstly, he was brilliant, second, there was probably up to a thousand people that didn’t get into the theatre because it was full. I remember that. Third, about a month after the show was the massive cyber attack at M&S. So perhaps the biggest M&S story in years happened about a month after he walked off the stage at RTS. We wouldn’t bring anyone back unless they had a story to tell, or they had something interesting or new to add. And after perhaps the most controversial year, Marks & Spencer’s have ever had, I thought, well, we’ve got to get him back to talk about it.
Matt Bradley: 18:20
So, that was the thinking, really. And I’m sure there’ll be some naysayers out there saying, Well, you know, you haven’t thought outside the box, you’re just repeating what you did last year. His interview will be completely different than last year because there is so much more to talk about. And you know, it’s the opportunity for a lot of those people that didn’t quite get in last year to try and change that this year. So we’ve got a bigger theatre to try and fill just to try and occupy as many people as possible because he is a huge draw. And, yes, Kate Hardcastle, who will be sitting down with him, I’m sure, will not pull her punches when she has some questions for you.
Host: 18:58
No, absolutely. No, Kate’s incredible, she’s really good. Okay, so that’s Archie. Who else can we expect to hear from on the main stages?
Matt Bradley: 19:08
Well, we’re very excited to welcome Grace Beverley, who is the founder of Tala, which is a workout wear brand, and also podcast host. She brings a really different dimension to retail because she’s one of the new faces amongst retail, perhaps the new generation. And I’m always trying to word this in the right way, and I’m not sure I’ve done it yet, but I want to sort of find a way where we’ve got traditional retail meeting the disruptors. And I think with the likes of Archie and Tuca Sullivan as well, who is a retailer, a phenomenal retailer, and obviously a dragon, those guys are on stage. But we’ve also got, as I say, Grace Beverley, Marisa Poster, who is the founder of Perfect Ted, I think, which is now on the verge of overtaking Levi Root and Reggae Reggae Sauce as the most successful Dragon’s Den product of all time. So she’ll be on stage talking about brands, etc. We, as I said, we will have Carrefour talking about the connected store. We’ve got the likes of Holland and Barrett, we’ve got Curries. Yes, it’s a real mix of your traditional top retailers and some of those really exciting e-commerce platforms and e-commerce companies that are completely ripping up that traditional “rule book”.
Host: 20:28
Yes, and I think that’s so important. It’s great that you’re doing that because there’s so much, a bit like your marketing team member Claudia, the lady who came up with the disco theme. Is Claudia a Gen Z, a young millennial? So in other words, somebody who would not have lived through the disco years of the 70s and 80s, but came up with the idea. So I guess it’s we can really learn an awful lot from the new start-ups, disruptors, call them what you like.
Matt Bradley: 21:04
Yes, there’s definitely plenty of crossover there, and it’s about being open enough to take that on. I think you know the program, the coverage programs, in a way split into two. It’s the challenges, but also the opportunities. There is an enormous amount of challenges that retail are facing. We’ve touched on cyber security and stuff like that. I’m not actually sure where AI is. Is it a challenge or is it an opportunity?
Host: 21:32
I was just thinking that we’ve got to 22 minutes, and we haven’t mentioned AI.
Matt Bradley: 21:41
But yes, in between for some people, retail media is a phenomenal opportunity, and so we’re going to be covering a lot of that. We’re going to be talking about growing retail, we’re going to talk about loyalty, customer experience. And again, with all of these things, there are challenges, but there are loads of opportunities, and it’s about trying to marry those. We don’t believe in opening that venue and then going “everything is perfect”. The retail sector is buoyant, it’s in the best position it’s ever been. It would be remiss of us not to focus on some of the challenges that are facing these retailers, because that’s one of the reasons why they’re at the show. They’re there to try and solve the issues that they’re facing. But, we don’t want to get bogged down in the negativity that everything is due. In fact, anything but, it is a very exciting time with multiple opportunities facing this sector right now. And I hope a lot of that is reflected both in the conference theatre and on the show floor.
Host: 22:37
Yes, absolutely. We are just about out of time. We could go on talking for hours about RTS. But Matt, just a quick reminder to people, when and where?
Matt Bradley: 22:48
22nd to the 23rd of April, London’s XL. Registration for retailers is completely free. All you need to do is head to the RTS website to register; it will take you five minutes. Your badge will be sent to you, and you will be part of Retail’s Beavers Disco.
Host: 23:06
Fantastic. Well, that’s all we’ve got time for from What’s in the box for now. New episodes will be dropping every two weeks, so please stay tuned. And if you want to find out more about BOXTEC, please follow us on LinkedIn. Matt, it’s been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much. I know you’re incredibly busy in the run up to RTS, so thanks for your time for this one. Oh, and yes, looking forward to it.
Matt Bradley: 23:29
Me too. Cheers, Andrew, appreciate it.