Breaking the Mould: Why Retail Must Evolve to Stay Relevant

After a busy two weeks working in London and speaking at the launch of the Global Footwear Future Coalition and also at the Data in Motion Tour with the great people at Grid Dynamics Julie and I decided to go and explore.

So this weekend, my thoughts come to you from the slightly wet but incredibly beautiful Whitby, Yorkshire. Julie refuses to come down from our Tent Box rooftop tent on our Volvo until she’s had her cup of Yorkshire tea and a few Bothams Fruit Nevilles. So, while I make a fresh pot of tea, sitting here looking at her perched on top of our Volvo, I thought I’d provide you with this week’s written sleep aid.

How many times have you heard someone say, “That’s the way we’ve always done it,” or, even worse, say nothing at all but let their actions do the talking? It’s an easy trap to fall into, isn’t it? Yet in today’s retail and direct-to-consumer (DTC) landscape, sticking to what’s always worked can quickly become your downfall. Socrates had it right when he said, “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.” That message is more relevant now than ever before.

Now, don’t get me wrong, we shouldn’t forget the past, and as many of you have heard me say, Confucius was onto something when he said, “Consider the past, and you will see the future.” The key, though, is using the past to inform the future, without getting stuck in it. This is a mindset that should flow through your entire organisation, from the shop floor to the boardroom.

Looking back over my career, I’ve learned that businesses which cling too tightly to ‘the way we’ve always done things’ usually end up falling behind. You can’t afford to rest on your laurels when the retail landscape is shifting under your feet. It’s not just about keeping up with new trends—it’s about reshaping your whole approach to meet evolving customer expectations. And, as we all know, those expectations are moving faster than ever.

I’ve spent years driving transformative strategies across APAC, EMEA, and the Americas, helping brands not just survive but thrive in this ever-changing environment. During my time at New Balance, I led initiatives that helped the brand grow from $1.5 billion USD in 2009 to nearly $4.3 billion in 2019. Growth like that doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from a willingness to adapt, to innovate, and to focus on the future rather than getting bogged down in the way things have always been done.

But let’s not get too caught up in high-level strategy talk. Real change isn’t just about drawing up grand plans; it’s about execution. Balancing creative vision with operational efficiency is essential—being cost-conscious, managing timelines, and ensuring that every initiative pushes the brand forward without losing sight of the fundamentals.

Take my time at adidas, for example. I worked on bringing fresh ideas to life, pushing retail innovation forward while ensuring that everything was in line with the brand’s core identity. It’s about doing something new, but doing it in a way that’s authentic to the brand. Fresh ideas only work if they’re true to who you are as a company.

Today’s retail world demands constant evolution—not just tweaking what’s already there, but sometimes rethinking it from the ground up. This isn’t just about flashy marketing campaigns or trendy store designs; it’s about transforming how you engage with customers and how you operate behind the scenes. Authenticity is still the key—brands can’t just follow trends for the sake of it. It needs to feel real, and customers will sense when it isn’t.

So, let’s not be afraid to break the mould. The past has its lessons, but the future is where we need to focus our energy. By learning from what’s come before without being bound by it, we can build brands that aren’t just surviving in the present but are set to thrive in the future. After all, the customers of tomorrow are waiting for something new—so let’s give it to them.

Well, that’s all for now from roof top camp Neville. Julie’s cup of Yorkshire tea is made, the sun is coming through, and we have some great hiking ahead.

As always, love and peace to you all.

Bob Neville

One last thing before you go Dracula and Whitby, why is Whitby associated with Dracula?

Bram Stoker found some of his inspiration for his novel while staying in Whitby in 1890. He'd been recommended to stay in our coastal town by actor Henry Irving after the two had finished a theatrical tour of Scotland.