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On this episode of Talking Shop I’m joined by Alain Bejjani—former Group CEO of Middle East retail giant Majid Al Futtaim, and author of the definitive new book, NEXT: Leading Through the New Realities. Drawing on his childhood in war-torn Beirut, and his experience steering a $9.5bn dollar retail and lifestyle empire through a global pandemic, Alain brings an unmatched perspective on leadership under pressure. Today, we break down his crisis survival playbook for retailers operating in distress. We discuss why resilience must always outpace efficiency, the four assets a brand must protect at all costs, and how to turn macro-turmoil into a long-term direction that scales.

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Boots has announced the appointment of former John Lewis executive, Charlotte Lock, as its new senior vice president for customer and marketing

Lock joins the health and beauty retailer after serving as pan-partnership customer director at John Lewis from March 2022 to June 2025. Before that, she held several roles at Co-op between 2020 and 2022, most recently as director of data, loyalty and digital products.

She previously spent more than eight years at the BBC, where she worked in a range of senior positions including director of youth strategy for BBC Sport and director of BBC Sounds.

Steve Ager, chief customer and commercial officer at Boots, said: “We’re pleased to welcome Charlotte Lock to Boots as our customer and marketing director. Charlotte joins us with deep expertise in developing leading customer journeys for loved retail brands and creating seamless connections across marketing, branding and loyalty initiatives. 

“We’re excited about Charlotte’s appointment as we continue our successful transformation focused on delivering exceptional experiences for our customers and upholding our brand promise: ‘With you. For life.’”

Lock’s appointment follows a series of senior leadership changes at Boots this year. In early 2025, chief marketing officer Pete Markey stepped down after more than four years with the company. Having joined in 2021, Markey helped drive the retailer’s loyalty strategy and oversaw several major seasonal campaigns.

In January, Boots also appointed former Asda retail boss Simon Gregg as chief retail, logistics and pharmacy operations director. The changes form part of the company’s wider transformation programme aimed at strengthening its customer proposition and operational performance.

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