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Store Leader 2030

Current research
What will great store leadership look like in 2030?
Project future store leader 2030

Decode how manager behaviours shape store performance — today and tomorrow

We’re decoding which behaviours drive today’s KPIs, what skills will define tomorrow’s high-performing managers, and how AI, automation, and omnichannel shifts will reshape the leadership that matters most.
future retail labs
Future Retail Labs is Performology’s global research platform for advancing human performance in retail.
Chaired by Judith McKenna, former CEO of Walmart International, it brings a global retail perspective to the challenges facing stores today.
In partnership with World Retail Congress, this research programme gathers senior retail leaders, behavioural scientists and industry experts to build the evidence-base for the future of Store Leadership.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Judith McKenna
Judith McKenna
Former CEO, Walmart International and Chair of Future Retail Labs
methodology

How we'll build the evidence

We will combine the experience of senior retail leaders with behavioural science and real-world store performance data. The aim is practical evidence: what the strongest Store Leaders do differently today, and what will matter most as retail changes.
How do we do it?
discover
Interviews with senior retail leaders to examine how AI, automation and changing customer expectations are reshaping stores and the role of the store leader.
decode
We take those perspectives to define what exceptional Store Leadership will need to look like in 2030, including the behaviours, mindsets and moments that matter most.
test
We test and refine the emerging Store Leader profile through research and evidence, identifying the behaviours, skills and conditions that distinguish future-ready leaders.
IMMERSE
Use immersive future scenarios to see how today’s Store Leaders respond to tomorrow’s challenges, turning insight into a practical view of future readiness.
Get Involved

Help shape the future of
store leadership.

Join a group of global retailers and industry partners helping to define what Store Leadership will need to become next.
become a  

research Partner
Join a group of global retailers helping to shape the future of store leadership. Take part in the research and receive early access to the insights that emerge.
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Become a
Sponsor
Support the research and help bring its findings to the wider industry. Put your organisation at the heart of the conversation on future Store Leadership.

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