Solutions, Services, and Social Action. Can Store Design Make a Difference?

Retail is exciting, fast-moving, and filled with opportunity, yet information overload is a constant challenge. Join retail strategist, speaker, and trainer Carol Spieckerman every other Thursday as she navigates past the noise to get to the heart of what really matters in retail. In every episode, Carol harnesses her latest retail trajectories and interviews with industry experts to distill tools, tactics, and takeaways for wherever you play in retail. If you’re ready to cut to the chase, or just want to be inspired about where retail is going next, this show is for you.

 

Brick-and-mortar retail is primed to benefit from pent-up demand in a post-pandemic world. But should transactions be the only end game? Stores can play a powerful role in promoting causes, showcasing solutions and services, and fostering employee engagement, yet realizing the potential requires a shift in priorities.

Carol’s guest is passionate about harnessing the power of design to make a difference. Ian Johnston is the founder and creative director of Quinine, a UK-based integrated research, strategy, and design consultancy specializing in establishing and scaling brickand-mortar concepts for non-retail companies.

In this multi-topic interview, Carol and Ian discuss how placing a higher priority on achieving higher purposes benefits retailers across every channel. The episode wraps up with Ian giving his fresh take on multi-format retail, sustainability’s next act, the limits of localization and other hot topics.

In this interview, you’ll learn:

  • Why brick-and-mortar’s distinctions drive digital success
  • How store design aids retailers’ service expansion aspirations
  • How to balance uniqueness and scale to level-up localization strategies
  • Why virtuous brands will win as store shopping surges

Contact information:

Email: ian@quininedesign.com

LinkedIn: Ian Johnston

Website: www.quininedesign.com

Current article: The Unbearable Sense of Shopping: Neurodiversity in Retail

Listen to Previous Episodes Right Here!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

spiral growth
Spiral Growth: The Career Strategy That Builds Real Leaders
February 11, 2026

Leadership pipelines are under pressure. Companies are moving faster, roles are becoming more cross-functional, and high-potential talent is expected to deliver beyond narrow job descriptions earlier in their careers. At the same time, the World Economic Forum estimates that 39% of workers’ core skills will need to evolve by 2030 to keep pace with…

Read More
ethical AI
In the Race to Build Smarter AI, Technology Leaders Shouldn’t Forget That Innovation Needs Oversight
February 11, 2026

When a résumé is filtered out, a loan is denied, or a piece of content never reaches its audience, artificial intelligence may be the unseen hand behind the outcome. As these systems spread across the tools and institutions that shape daily life, the assumptions and priorities of their designers are carried forward into decisions…

Read More
Resource Officers
Beyond Enforcement: The Evolving Role of School Resource Officers
February 10, 2026

School Safety Today podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies. In this episode of School Safety Today, host Dr. Amy Grosso sits down with Dr. Penny Schultz, Assistant Director of School Safety and Security at Chesapeake Public Schools, to unpack the often-misunderstood role of School Resource Officers (SROs). The conversation highlights how effective SROs function not…

Read More
transportation management
Transportation Management Systems Don’t Compete With Carriers, Brokers, or Shippers — They Align Them
February 10, 2026

Transportation management systems are undergoing a quiet but consequential shift. Once viewed primarily as tools for tracking loads and storing paperwork, modern TMS platforms are increasingly expected to function as the operational backbone of logistics organizations. As freight volumes continue to fluctuate, margins remain tight, and supply chains rely on a growing mix of…

Read More