Organisation-specific insight
Identify your Store Leadership strengths and future priorities with a tailored report and insight session.
Project Future Store Leader 2030
A Future Retail Labs Research Programme, in partnership with the World Retail Congress
Why this research matters
The role of the Store Leader has always been demanding. They make retail work: turning strategy into day-to-day action, supporting colleagues and shaping the customer experience.
But as retailers invest in new technology and redesign how stores operate, Store Leaders can too easily be treated as the channel through which change is delivered, rather than a capability that needs to be understood and strengthened.
Project Future Store Leader 2030 brings together leading retailers to understand how the role is changing, what exceptional Store Leadership will require by 2030, and how ready today’s Store Leaders are to meet those demands.
Why you should get involved
Global Benchmarking
See how the challenges and priorities facing your organisation compare with themes emerging across leading global retailers.
Early Access & Influence
Shape the future of Store Leadership, gain early access to the findings and join an invite-only group of retail peers for exclusive events.
Future Retail Labs
Future Retail Labs is Performology’s industry-wide research initiative. It brings retailers, behavioural scientists and industry experts together to build practical evidence for stronger people decisions and retail performance.
Chaired by Judith McKenna, Project Future Store Leader 2030 will explore how Store Leadership is changing and what retailers can do now to prepare for what is ahead.
Register your interest
Taking part in the research is completely free. Share your details to find out more about taking part in our research programme, or be kept informed with the results in 2027.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a fee for taking part?
No. There is no fee for participating in the research. We simply ask research partners to commit the time and people needed to complete the interviews, survey and store leader simulations.
Who can take part?
The research is designed for leading retailers interested in understanding and shaping the future of store leadership. Places are limited, and we will confirm that each organisation meets the research partner requirements before onboarding.
What does participation involve?
Each research partner will contribute three to six interviews with senior retail leaders, complete a survey and invite approximately 20–40 high-performing store leaders to participate in an immersive future-store simulation.
Who should take part in the interviews?
We are looking for senior retail leaders who can offer a strategic perspective on how AI, technology and wider changes in retail are reshaping stores, operating models and store leadership. Interviews will take 45-60 minutes.
What will store leaders be required to do?
20-40 selected store leaders will take part in a realistic, AI-enabled simulation based on future retail challenges. They will interact with virtual colleagues and customers, make decisions and respond to situations that test future-relevant behaviours and mindsets. Store leader simulations will take 60-90 minutes.
When will the research take place?
Interviews and surveys will run from September to December 2026, followed by the store leader simulations between January and March 2027. Findings will be shared in May 2027.
What will we get back from taking part?
Your organisation will receive a tailored summary report and a 60-minute insight session highlighting your store leaders’ strengths and critical future-readiness gaps. You’ll also see how your organisation compares through the Global Store Leader Future-Readiness Index, gain early access to the wider research findings and join invite-only peer networking events. Participating store leaders will receive personalised behavioural feedback on their performance in the future-store simulations.