The Retail Makeover Mission
What happens when you give independent retailers the expert advice, investment and tools to transform their businesses?
Follow two independent retailers, Katie Gibbs of OSO Boutique in Salisbury and Michaela Sawyer of Taba Naba in Felixstowe, as they take on a complete retail transformation, and steal the ideas, insights and practical tools you can apply to your own store - and we've even made a downloadable digital version, so you can transform your store too!
Download Your Free RMM Toolkit
What Is the Retail Makeover Mission?
The high street is under pressure. Rising costs, changing footfall patterns and growing competition from online and multiple retailers mean independent shops are being asked to do more with less, often without the time or budget to bring in outside expertise.
The Retail Makeover Mission was created by Autumn Fair to close that gap. After hundreds of applications from independent retailers across the UK, two businesses were chosen for a complete transformation.
An expert Task Team worked hands-on with each business across the areas that matter most day to day: visual merchandising and store design, customer experience, marketing and loyalty, buying and product curation, operations, and branding and digital presence. The goal throughout was practical, measurable transformation, not theory. Think Changing Rooms, but for retail, and with the results to prove it.
An award-winning style haven. Owned by Katie Gibbs, OSO Boutique has become a beloved fixture in Salisbury, known for carefully curated fashion and dazzling jewellery. Katie's keen eye for style and the boutique's reputation for exceptional service had already made their mark on the high street, but the Retail Makeover Mission gave OSO the chance to shine even brighter.
A gift shop full of soul.
Taba Naba is more than a shop, it's a celebration of thoughtfulness, run by Michaela Sawyer with a deeply personal approach to handpicked gifts. Michaela's community spirit and passion for spreading joy have built a loyal following in Felixstowe, and made Taba Naba an easy choice for this transformation journey.
The Expert Task Team
OSO Fashion Boutique and Taba Naba didn't take on their transformations alone. Retailers were personally matched with specialists based on their specific challenges, covering visual merchandising, customer experience, marketing, buying, operations and branding.
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Alex Schlagman
Founder of Save the Highstreet
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Andrew Goodacre
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Deryane Tadd
Founder of The Dressing Room
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Samantha Gibbs
Founder of Nest
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John Abbate
Retail Design and Visual Merchandising Expert
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Claire Bevan
Head of Retail and Customer Contact at The Natural History Museum
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Sara Allbright
Director and co-founder of Retail 100 Consulting
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Neil Amer
Director and co-founder of Retail 100 Consulting
David Whiteley
COO of Together Futures Ltd
Watch the Makeover
Get Your Free Retail Makeover Mission Toolkit
Inside the toolkit:
- Visual merchandising techniques you can apply this week, no matter your shop's size
- A practical framework for reviewing your product range and buying decisions
- Customer experience and loyalty ideas drawn directly from OSO and Taba Naba's transformations
- Guidance on branding and digital presence for independent retailers
- An operations checklist to free up time for the parts of the business that need you most
This is the same thinking the Task Team applied in-store, made usable for any independent retailer, whether you're in fashion, gift, garden or interiors.
Follow the journey
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