{"id":6869,"date":"2026-05-08T16:44:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T15:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newtonimpact.com\/?post_type=content_library&p=6869"},"modified":"2026-05-08T17:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:23:10","slug":"from-boardroom-to-shop-floor-how-retails-workforce-of-the-future-can-unlock-productive-growth","status":"publish","type":"content_library","link":"https:\/\/newtonimpact.com\/en-us\/content-library\/blog\/from-boardroom-to-shop-floor-how-retails-workforce-of-the-future-can-unlock-productive-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"From Boardroom to Shop Floor: How retail’s workforce of the future can unlock productive growth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Take Me Back<\/a>\n\n

From Boardroom to Shop Floor: How retail’s workforce of the future can unlock productive growth<\/h1>\n

By Jonny Gatus, Jazz Swift and Kayleigh Brennan<\/p>\n\n

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Directors<\/p>\n <\/span>\n \n

Blog<\/p>\n <\/span>\n \n

7 min<\/p>\n <\/span>\n \n

8th May 2026<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n \n\n\n

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Retail stores are getting squeezed from every direction: customers expect more, costs keep rising and the balance between digital, convenience and in\u2011store experience is hotly contested. All compounded by a multigenerational human workforce working alongside an ever-evolving digital one.<\/p>\n

The senior leaders who are getting ahead recognise that this moment demands more than isolated initiatives or incremental optimisation. It requires a fundamental re\u2011think of how technology, people and leadership come together to create a store operation that is productive, inspiring, and future ready.<\/p>\n

Newton\u2019s \u2018Supercharging Retail\u2019 work across the global retail sector shows one clear truth: productive growth only happens when strategy, technology and human behaviour move in lockstep – from the boardroom all the way to the shop floor. Transformation succeeds not through bold slogans, but through deep operational adoption, true process integration, and a repeatable model that scales to every store.<\/p>\n

Here, we set out the three pillars<\/strong> of that winning model and how retailers can seize the opportunity to maximise the role of the store as a truly strategic asset.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n \n\n\n

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Pillar 1<\/p>\n

The digital workforce: Technology and AI that actually lands at scale<\/h2>\n <\/hgroup>\n \n
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FTSE 100 retailers are rolling out AI to create capacity, support better decisions and enable teams to focus on the most meaningful work. Yet, despite heavy investment, retailers regularly struggle to see meaningful value when scaled across the estate. Why? Because tools are deployed faster than they are embedded, processes haven\u2019t been redesigned around them, and colleagues lack the confidence or time to use them in the moments that matter.<\/p>\n

The concept of \u2018workslop\u2019 resonates here: tech implementations throwing out unhelpful or unintentional work. Electronic shelf labels and shelf-edge cameras, for instance, can support forecasting, but most of the on-shelf availability benefits for customers come from in-store colleagues responding to technology prompts to deliver customer outcomes. But for this to have an impact, an in-store workforce that is AI-enabled and literate is essential.<\/p>\n

Across the industry, we see clear challenges: <\/strong><\/p>\n