Back by popular demand, Stephen Spencer + Associates return to Spring Fair with free 1-2-1 mentoring clinics, offering practical, tailored advice designed to tackle your specific challenges.
Whether you need help with brand strategy, marketing, customer experience, buying, merchandising, or commercial planning – you'll leave with clear, actionable next steps.
Choose a time slot using the booking calendar below
Tell us what you'd like help with when you book
The Stephen Spencer + Associates team will match you with the right expert on the day
Location: Buyer's Retreat, Hall 3
Cost: Free (registration required)
Format: 1-2-1 mentoring session
Booking calendar
Appointments are available during Spring Fair (1–4 February 2026). Please select those dates to view available slots.
Stephen will ensure every journey meets your expectations and requirements, and will specifically support assignments involving brand, marketing, customer experience, retail, and other income generation.
Stephen’s business journey started in the High Street at age 15 and took him to Regent Street, via the Tower of London, to Buckingham Palace by age 30.
Since then Stephen has worked with, studied, learned from, and helped some of the brightest stars and most prestigious brands in the retail, leisure, and tourism sectors.
Jane is an industry-renowned Visual Merchandiser and a Fellow of the British Display Society.
She is also a qualified lecturer in Visual Merchandising, having taught at the University of the Arts and delivered training programmes for large companies.
Trained as a window dresser at Harrods, Jane progressed through department stores and into the cultural sector, with clients including the Royal Academy of Arts, V&A, Science Museum, The National Gallery, Kew and Lowther Castle.
Projects have included work in Japan, Doha and across Europe for organisations such as Amazon, Kew, Primark and BHS — combining creativity with strong commercial understanding.
Catrina is a commercial retail specialist with over 25 years’ experience in retail, museums + galleries and fashion. Her leadership skills help organisations achieve their goals and ambitions.
Before joining SS+A, Catrina worked for organisations such as The Royal Academy of Arts, Manchester International Festival, Oasis, Esprit, Harrods and Arcadia.
Her experience spans buying and merchandising (online + offline), revenue modelling, budget control and logistics — helping businesses maximise sales through strong planning and customer focus.
Successful retail projects are built on strong foundations. With a creative background and extensive B2B and B2C experience, Lauren specialises in working with retail brands, visitor destinations, and consumer-facing businesses to turn ideas into measurable results.
She supports end-to-end project delivery, from brand development to in-store and digital execution, using insight-led marketing that connects with customers and converts.
Over the past decade, Lauren has partnered with small and medium-sized organisations across the UK and USA, including retail stores, museums and visitor attractions.
Carolyn began her career as a musician before moving into the world of space and venue hire, bringing a people-centred, creative perspective to commercial operations.
She has worked with both large organisations and small, community-focused businesses, balancing profitability with purpose. She specialises in practical, scalable space-hire and revenue models that help businesses make better use of their premises.
Using detailed margin analysis and streamlined digital systems, Carolyn helps businesses increase income, improve internal communication, and better understand their customers — saving time and reducing operational costs.
Her approach considers commercial growth alongside customer experience, community engagement, and sustainability.
With over 30 years’ expertise in fashion styling, visual merchandising, window design, and VM training, Annika’s work blends creativity with commercial strategy to create visually engaging environments that strengthen brand identity and customer experience.
Working across retail and hospitality, Annika delivers impactful visual merchandising and window displays for new and refurbished spaces. Known for her resourceful, pragmatic creativity, she develops strong visual solutions within budget, combining intelligent sourcing, clear concepts, and hands-on execution to elevate spaces and tell compelling stories.
Annika’s client experience includes projects for Harvey Nichols, Ralph Lauren, Jo Hansford, Feather & Black, Marks & Spencer, and the National Union of Students. She is a Senior Associate of The Retailer Group and has also delivered work on behalf of B Creative for brands including Mappin & Webb, Watches of Switzerland, and Victoria’s Secret.
Her collaborative work includes assisting with the festive dressing of The Royal Opera House and Waddesdon Manor as a member of Jane Le Bon’s team.
Samantha Gibbs is the owner of Nest, a trio of card and gift shops offering unique gift and lifestyle items.
Trading since 2002, Samantha has used her keen sense of creativity and dedication to sourcing distinctive products to create a trusted gifting destination, known for quality ranges and exceptional customer service.
Stephen will ensure every journey meets your expectations and requirements, supporting assignments across brand, marketing, customer experience, retail and income generation.
His career began on the High Street and progressed through major cultural retail projects, including creating the Buckingham Palace Shop and launching London’s cable car.
Stephen supports organisations to shift from property-led to customer-focused thinking and improve performance through clear, practical actions.
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