Official UK lead: Clare Rayner, The Retail Champion

Clare Rayner, The Retail Champion, is one of the most well-known and respected retail consultants in the UK. 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.

Known as The Retail Champion, 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.
Clare is regularly called upon by the media - BBC TV News, various radio stations and numerous press - to comment as a retail expert. Her retail business book, 'The Retail Champion: 10-steps to Retail Success', published by Kogan Page, will be available from 3rd July 2012 to coincide with Independent Retailer Month.

Attendees of the Independent Retailer Month UK 2012 Launch Conference will hear from Clare and will also have the opportunity to buy a signed, pre-launch copy of her book. To find out more about Clare and about The Retail Champion see www.retailchampion.co.uk