The Retailer

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Gordon MacPherson

Managing Partner

Gordon is the Managing Director at The Retailer Group and is our lead partner on a number of major retail accounts in the UK and internationally.

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Gordon Bell

Founding Partner and Chairman

Gordon is The Retailer Group’s founding partner and chairman, having started the company in 1997. The business has grown rapidly over the years.

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Lynda Murray

Senior Associate 

Lynda specialises in visual merchandising and prides herself on creating design solutions that focus on the appearance of stores and their sales results.

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Helen Wiilamson

Senior Associate

Helen is the newest addition to The Retailer Group and brings with her over 30 years of Retail experience and 10 years of Executive Board experience. 

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John Cowan

Senior Associate

John specialises in training and business operations. Projects he has successfully managed include The London and Rio Olympics, Commonwealth Games…

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Chris Turner

Senior Associate

Chris is The Retailer Group’s digital marketing lead, working with clients on their e-commerce websites, SEO, content and social media and demand generation.

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Jerry Carter

Senior Associate

Jerry has extensive experience as a senior associate with The Retailer Group, overseeing operations, loss prevention, finance and outsourcing support services.

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Stephan Reigel

Senior Associate

Stephan is The Retailer Groups hospitality expert. He has extensive experience and is highly knowledgeable on all aspects of the international hospitality industry.

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Kathryn Horsfall

Senior Associate

Kathryn is a senior associate with The Retailer Group, specialising in buying, merchandising and design. She is a creative fashion professional…

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Jean-Marc Murre

Senior Associate

Jean-Marc has 40 years experience of successful sales, marketing and management experience within the destination, hospitality and travel industry.

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Paul Wareham

Senior Associate

Paul specialises in visitor attractions and heritage sites. He is an accomplished operator with expertise in buying and range planning…

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Cameron Bell

Senior Associate

Cameron is The Retailer Group’s senior cyber security adviser. He has led international programs across cyber security, connected logistics…

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The Retailer

Gordon is managing director at The Retailer Group and is the Group’s lead partner on a number of major retail accounts in the UK and internationally. Based in TRG’s office in England, he works closely with clients to fully understand the detail of any opportunity or challenge prior to setting the strategic direction of any project,

His background covers large and small-space formats. He possesses excellent leadership and operation skills – executed at board level - to deliver results within demanding and constantly changing environments, including start-ups. He has extensive international experience and a strong commercial focus, with extensive experience in place management.

Before joining The Retailer Group, Gordon held various senior positions at House of Fraser where over a period of 18 months he led the retail team in the acquisition of Beatties. He also holds experience as retail director at Jessops, managing large teams and complex projects such as restructures. He also has experience in sports retail where he held the position of sales development director for an established English football club.

Gordon is The Retailer Group’s founding partner and chairman, having starting the company in 1997. The business has grown over the years, expanding its base in Scotland to other offices in the UK. The client base has also expanded internationally. Gordon specialises in visitor attraction retail and town centre regeneration. He has supported a number of local councils, advising independent retailers and strengthening town centre regeneration.

Gordon’s first role was with William Timpson’s & Sons Ltd, working his way up from the shop floor to director-level. He has also gained invaluable experience with Wallis Fashions where he was a member of its national sales executive. He went on to become managing director of Question Mark. He also gained experience with industrial group, Lohnro, overturning one  the firm’s struggling companys before joining Lohnro Textiles.   Finally working with Lizars as sales and merchandise director. Gordon has also set up and managed a successful family-run coffee shop and deli business that was subsequently sold on.

Gordon is an associate of the Industrial Society, advising on all retail elements. He also sits on the board of his local tourism group and is also vice chairman of his local community trust. He is coordinator of the local town’s regeneration team and is also a member of Scotland’s Town Partnership. Gordon has contributed to the cross-party group on town centre development at the Scottish Parliament. He has judged the National Retail Awards on two occasions and comments on retail matters for the BBC. Gordon has completed the Institute of Directors course in corporate governance and finance and is currently working towards Chartered Director status.

Lynda is Senior Associate, specialising in visual merchandising, and has worked with The Retailer Group for over 10 years. Lynda is passionate about ‘the look’ of stores and public spaces and develops and nurtures creative ideas. Lynda prides herself on creating design solutions that deliver to the agreed brief, focussing on the appearance of stores, their functionality and their sales results.

Lynda was formerly director of visual merchandising at House of Fraser and has held senior positions at Burton Group where she was responsible for the store design, windows, visual merchandising strategies and point of sale/package design. Lynda is a motivational and inspirational visual expert; her teams have won several prestigious industry awards.

Helen is the newest addition to The Retailer Group and brings with her over 30 years of Retail experience and 10 years of Executive Board experience. Helen is a change specialist, successfully leading teams through reorganisation, transformation, turnaround and crisis. She has an excellent track record of improving profitability by finding customer centric levers for growth. Helen is an advisory board member for many start-ups and enjoys mentoring founders to help establish market positioning, sales and distribution channels, production and 3rd party partnerships. Her network of contacts is expansive and covers all major distribution channels and suppliers. Helen understands Brand custodianship and sustainable growth strategies as well as being adept at spotting Brands which are ripe for revitalising under new ownership or management.

Helen’s Retail experience spans many much-loved high street and premium Brands. She is a Consultant for the activewear Brand LNDR and prior to this was Managing Director of Whistles, leading Whistles through a transaction to TFG ownership, restructure, and a successful turnaround. Helen has also held Senior Leadership roles at Hobbs and Ted Baker where she oversaw the International expansion into Asia, Europe and America, adapting product, processes and structures to facilitate exponential growth.

John is a highly experienced associate at The Retailer Group and specialises in training and business operations. He has successfully managed a number of projects in the UK and internationally, including The London Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Rio Olympics and The Open Championship.

He has operated as regional director for a number of major brands, including Disney, Asda, Littlewoods and John Smith & Sons.  As a business consultant, John has provided support and training for SMEs and on large-scale projects for companies such as Hilco, Alteri and Great America. He has also overseen the administration closure process for multiple stores, including Woolworths, Comet, Austin Reed and T.J. Hughes.

Chris is The Retailer Group’s digital marketing lead, working with clients on their e-commerce websites, SEO, content, social media and demand generation. His goal is to help clients maximise their digital opportunity and position their offering, ensuring key milestones and performance metrics are met. Chris is a highly experienced marketer and integrates online and offline to properly reflect how customers actually live their lives, giving clients the greatest chance of reaching them at key moments in the buying process.

He has worked across a number of sectors, including not-for-profit, and with retailers from large multinationals to independent stores and those which only exist online. He has board level experience as a client, in an agency environment and as a consultant and has successfully managed projects involving multiple stakeholders, locations and time zones. His extensive international experience spans almost every continent. He has a collaborative and personable style focused on achieving results.

Jerry has extensive experience as a senior associate with The Retailer Group, overseeing operations, loss prevention, finance and outsourcing support services.

Jerry has worked at a senior level for Debenhams and House of Fraser, responsible for internal business communications, loss prevention, audit, maintenance, health and safety and store administration controls.

He is adept in complex situations and works collaboratively with the teams he engages with. He has carried out extensive business reviews across a number of diverse industries.

Stephan is The Retailer Groups hospitality expert. He has extensive experience and is highly knowledgeable on all aspects of the international hospitality industry.

Stephan’s background is firmly rooted in hotel and hospitality management and gained his experience working for major brands in the USA, Germany, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Yugoslavia, Tahiti and France. Stephan completed a Master’s degree in Hospitality Management at IMHI, a joint program run by US-based Cornell University and ESSEC, an elite French business school.

He has worked in senior roles for Kempinski Hotels, The Ritz Hotel and Hyatt International. He also managed a hotel construction project (DM 120 Million), latterly he managed Scandic and Lindner Hotels as General Manager in Germany.

Kathryn is a senior associate with The Retailer Group, specialising in buying, merchandising and design. She is a creative fashion professional and has a strong commercial approach with proven creative experience in cutting-edge retail fashion environments. Kathryn has the ability to translate ideas into tangible outcomes and she has a true understanding of the ‘world of the creative’ and the relative commercial processes within it.

She has successfully operated in high-profile buying roles in the U.K. and India, working for a number of major retailers in complex multi-brand retail environments. Her experience includes ten years as womenswear director at House of Fraser.  Over a period of nine years in India she formulated strategies and created a number of private-label brands for key domestic fashion players.  Kathryn empowers teams and fosters a collaborative culture.

Jean-Marc is non-executive director at The Retailer Group. He offers advice based on his 40 years of successful sales, marketing and management experience within the destination, hospitality and travel industry.

His last assignment, spanning 23 years, was as director of sales for Walt Disney, Paris. His focus was sales and marketing for international markets for Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Lines.

Jean-Marc received the medal of tourism in 2012 from the French government for services rendered to the French tourism industry. He is fluent in French, English and Spanish.

Paul is a senior associate with The Retailer Group and specialises in visitor attractions and heritage sites. He is an accomplished operator with expertise in buying and range planning, based on more than thirty years retail management experience.

Paul was director of retail at National Museums for Scotland for a period of 8 years. In that time he led the expansion plans for retail as the museum went through a major transformation. Previously, Paul worked for top brands such as Selfridges in London and Jenners in Edinburgh.

Cameron is The Retailer Group’s senior cyber security adviser.

He is a recognised innovation strategist and business designer and has led international product and service development programs across cyber security, connected logistics, open-banking, smart cities and autonomous transport.

Most recently, he helped to establish the new London Cyber Innovation Centre for DCMS in the UK. Cameron is an alumni of Babson College in Boston, Industry Liaison at MIT and proud Saltire Fellow at Entrepreneurial Scotland.