Client: Brabners, Eversheds Sutherland, FootAnstey, Gowling WLG, HGF, Lockton, RPC, Shoosmiths, TLT
Sector: Legal
THE BRIEF
Keen to position their brands as trusted partners to the retail industry, Retail Week clients wanted brand exposure and face-to-face time with senior legal professionals across retailers and retail brands spanning a breadth of verticals.
Clients had differing needs across the event; whether they had exclusive research findings and expertise to share on stage or wanted to understand GC’s biggest challenges in a closed-door roundtable setting.
All clients equally wanted to expand their network, build relationships and become embedded in the close-knit legal community built around the event.
THE SOLUTION
Having run for over 10 years, Retail Week’s General Counsel Summit returned in June 2026, bringing the UK retail sector’s top legal minds together for a full-day conference at the Ham Yard Hotel. The day-long agenda of panels, presentations, roundtables and networking equipped legal leaders with the strategies, technologies and skills to succeed in the year ahead.
With eight sponsorable mainstage content sessions, an hour of dedicated partnered roundtable discussions and five networking sessions, the summit offered unrivalled opportunities to network face-to-face and a platform to demonstrate expertise in helping retailers navigate through their current legal challenges. Key themes included:
- What the behaviours of shoppers today mean for the retail landscape of tomorrow – and how GCs can prepare
- The latest retail threats in cyber risk – with perspectives from the NCSC
- How to protect corporate reputation: what money cannot buy
- The legal opportunities presented from new retail commerce models
- How to do more with less: the legal leaders excelling under pressure
- Navigating ESG risk, regulation and opportunity: the GC’s role
- Agentic commerce: accountability, autonomy, action
- What will drive innovation, growth and trust in legal teams of the future
An engaging panel of speakers took to the stage with names from Ocado Retail, Selfridges, JD Sports, AllSaints, Kingfisher, White Stuff, Jamie Oliver Group, Pizza Hut, The NCSC, ThreeSixty and more.
A comprehensive marketing campaign was devised to promote the event, including dedicated outreach to Retail Week’s in-house legal community. A dedicated microsite with partner branding, social media and email marketing campaign and native advertising created a halo effect around the event.
Nearly 70 delegates attended, making the event one of the most successful General Counsel Summits to date, praised by sponsors and delegates for its atmosphere, content and networking opportunities.
A key fixture in the retail legal community and private practice calendar, the event will return in June 2027.
