As consumer expectations evolve and digital competition intensifies, retail businesses must embrace modern IT solutions to stay ahead. Join techUK and Codurance for a dynamic session during Leeds Digital Festival exploring how retailers are transforming their technology stacks to deliver seamless customer experiences, streamline operations, and enable rapid innovation.

Industry experts and technology leaders will share insights into the latest trends—from cloud-native platforms and headless commerce to AI-driven analytics and omnichannel strategies. Learn how legacy systems are being reimagined, how to overcome common barriers to change, and what the future holds for IT in retail.

Whether you're a CTO, digital strategist, IT manager, or innovation lead, this event will provide practical takeaways and inspiration to modernise your retail tech landscape.

Key Themes:

  • Legacy modernisation & system integration
  • Real-time data and customer insights
  • AI & automation in retail
  • Security, scalability, and agility in digital retail environments

Who Should Attend:

Retail professionals, IT leaders, digital transformation specialists, and anyone interested in the intersection of technology and the future of retail.

Keynote Speakers

Mash Badar

Mash Badar

Co-Founder and Managing Director, Codurance

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Esther Pugh

Esther Pugh

Senior Lecturer in Retail and Consumer Behaviour, Leeds Beckett University

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Agenda 

11:45 - 12:00

Arrivals

12:00 - 12:10

Overview of tech innovation in the retail sector 

  • Dr Esther Pugh, Senior Lecturer in Retail and Consumer Behaviour, The Retail Institute, Leeds Beckett University

12:10 - 13:10

Panel session - Omni channel retail

  • Dr Esther Pugh, Senior Lecturer in Retail and Consumer Behaviour, The Retail Institute, Leeds Beckett University (Chair)
  • Andrew Adam, Head of Engineering, British Car Auctions
  • Peter Laflin, Director of Data and Analytics, Morrisons
  • Mash Badar, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Codurance

13:10 onwards

Networking

 


UK Tech SMEs: Driving Economic Growth and Innovation 

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This report illustrates the critical impact of tech SMEs across the nations and regions. techUK has combined quantitative data from Beauhurst with interviews from tech SMEs to provide both the current macroeconomic picture of tech SMEs, but also the economic and social impact made by individual tech SMEs.

 


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Here are the five reasons you should join the SME programme.

Learn about the value members get from our work.

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