The Women Rewriting Independent Retail

This International Women's Day, we're celebrating four remarkable women who prove that independent retail isn't just surviving, it's being boldly reimagined. 

The British high street has taken a battering in recent years. Rising costs, shifting consumer habits, and the relentless pull of online shopping have left many independent retailers questioning whether bricks and mortar still has a future. But spend five minutes with the women at the heart of our Retail Makeover Mission and that doubt starts to dissolve. 

Katie, Michaela, Samantha, and Deryane aren't just running shops. They're building communities, championing independent retail, and quietly proving that heart, clarity and courage can change everything. 

Walk into almost any independent boutique, gift shop or fashion retailer on a British high street and there's a good chance a woman is behind it. Not just behind the till, behind the vision, the buying decisions, the window display, the Instagram feed, the stock management, the customer relationships, and the relentless daily grind of keeping something they love alive. 

The numbers back this up. Wholesale and retail trade accounts for 12% of all jobs held by women in the UK,  making it one of the three largest employing sectors for women in the country. And when it comes to self-employment, 88.3% of women working as shopkeepers and retail owners are self-employed, one of the highest rates of any occupation. These aren't women who fell into retail. They chose it, built it, and in many cases, are staking their financial independence on it. 

Yet the landscape they're operating in is genuinely tough. Rising costs, shifting consumer habits, and the relentless pull of online shopping have left many retailers questioning whether bricks and mortar still have a future. 

And the challenges don't stop at the shop door. Despite women representing close to half of all UK entrepreneurs, the share of women-led employer SMEs has fallen from 19% to 14% since 2021. Female-founded businesses received an average of £1.05 million in funding in 2024, compared to £6.2 million for solely male-owned organisations, a funding gap that makes scaling up exponentially harder. And yet, despite all of that, female-led companies tend to outperform their male-led counterparts, generating average revenues of £10.4 million annually compared to £6.1 million for male-led businesses. 

Women in retail aren't just surviving against the odds. They're quietly outperforming. 

Deryane Tadd: Twenty Years of Doing It Differently 

When Deryane Tadd opened The Dressing Room in St Albans two decades ago, the high street looked nothing like it does today. Fast forward to 2026, and while countless boutiques have shuttered their windows for good, this St Albans gem hasn't just survived, it's become one of the most celebrated independent fashion boutiques in the country. 

Their milestone 20th birthday showcase in 2025 said it all. It sold out in ten minutes flat, with a waitlist of eager attendees. In a retail climate where footfall is under sustained pressure, that's not luck,  it's the result of two decades spent building something genuinely irreplaceable. 

What makes The Dressing Room so special isn't just the edit, though the collections are consistently stunning. It's the community. Deryane and her team don't just sell clothes; they curate experiences. Customers aren't demographics; they're individuals with stories, styles and relationships with the brand that span years. The birthday event last year captured this philosophy perfectly, right down to the bespoke Ampersand 'Edition 20' fragrance gifted to every attendee. Every detail thought of. Every moment designed to deepen connection. 

The boutique has also evolved brilliantly with the times, embracing digital platforms and social commerce without ever losing the intimacy of the in-person experience. Their online presence feels like a conversation, not a billboard, and stands as a genuine inspiration for independent retailers navigating the step into the digital age. 

Deryane on what makes her proud to be a woman in retail:

"Being a woman in retail makes me proud for many reasons, not least because I have seen the impact that we have on the shopfloor, in the boardroom, through buying decisions, leadership and culture. 

Retail is built on instinct, resilience and emotional intelligence - qualities women bring in abundance.  Throughout my career, I've believed strongly in creating real career pathways for women in this industry. Watching women build their careers and step into leadership, grow in confidence and build long term careers is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do. 

For me, success in retail has always been about building a team and a strong business where women can thrive. And that is something I'm incredibly proud to stand for."

Katie: Honouring the Past, Building the Future 

When Katie took over OSO Boutique in Salisbury, she inherited something precious: a loyal customer base, a strong reputation, and a shop that people genuinely loved. But with that inheritance came questions that wouldn't go away. 

One thing that stood out about Katie is her willingness to be open, to name the uncertainty out loud, it’s exactly what makes Katie's story so relatable for independent retailers across the UK. Running a shop you love doesn't mean you always know what comes next. And asking for help isn't a weakness; it's how good businesses become great ones. 

Working with a panel of retail experts including Deryane herself, Katie spent time getting crystal clear on who OSO really is; its personality, its customer, its world. Once that foundation was in place, the rest followed naturally: a refreshed shop floor, smarter buying trips to retail trade shows, and a PR strategy to bring the wider world into OSO's story. 

The results were immediate. Customers noticed. New people walked in. And Katie walked away with something more valuable than a makeover, a clearer vision for what OSO is, and the confidence to act on it. 

Samantha Gibbs: The Power of Roots

Samantha Gibbs has been running Nest, her independent gift boutique in Leicester, since 2002. What started as a single bricks and mortar shop in a leafy suburb has grown into a multi-location business,  a second local shop, an online presence, and a concession in a garden centre, all while remaining rooted in the communities it serves.

That word, community, comes up again and again when Samantha talks about what she loves about independent retail. "I absolutely love the relationship that you build within a community," she says, "and I love the instant feedback we gain from the customers about what we are doing and the products we are offering. I thrive off the trust that the customers put in us."

Over two decades in the industry, Samantha has seen trends come and go, weathered economic headwinds, and adapted her business model more times than she can count. She's also become one of the most respected voices in independent gifting:a mentor, a panel expert, and a connector of people across the sector.

Samantha on what makes her proud to be a woman in retail:

"I'm proud to be in an industry that is shaped so significantly by strong, forward-thinking, creative women. Broadly speaking, gifting itself has always been an inherently female role, so it's especially meaningful that we hold an equal and influential place within it. It's always incredibly inspiring to be surrounded by female founders that are leading the way and motivating the next generation of entrepreneurs."

Michaela: Building Something Beautiful From Scratch 

In 2021, Michaela left the security of a well-paid regional manager role and moved with her family to the seaside town of Felixstowe. Where in 2024 she opened Taba Naba, a tiny, joyful, colour-packed gift shop, in 2024. In a seaside town. During one of the toughest periods for independent retail in living memory.

Taba Naba is the kind of shop that stops people in their tracks. Colourful, considered, and full of things you simply won't find anywhere else,  it's a reflection of Michaela herself. As retail expert Claire Beveron put it on her first visit: "It's clearly run by someone with a lot of passion for retail, someone who loves their community and has a really great eye for some lovely product. She's a mother herself and you can see that her taste and her story is really reflected in the store."

Like any ambitious retailer, Michaela had her sights set on more. How do you grow smartly in a seasonal seaside town? How do you make a small space work even harder? How do you evolve from brilliant instinct to data-informed confidence? The Retail Makeover Mission connected her with a team of experts who helped her answer all of it, and more importantly, helped her see what she'd already built with fresh eyes. The shop's nature-inspired, family-rooted identity was already there. It just needed bringing into sharper focus.

By the time Michaela visited Autumn Fair in 2025, her whole approach had shifted. She arrived with a clear buying brief, smarter questions for suppliers, and the confidence to make decisions that served her customer and her business, not just her instincts. 

What These Women Share 

Katie, Michaela, Samantha, and Deryane come from different backgrounds, different sectors, and different stages of their retail journeys. One is celebrating twenty years in fashion retail. One is navigating the growth of an established boutique. One is just getting started in a seaside gift shop. 

But what unites them is something you can't manufacture: a genuine belief in what they do, and the people they do it for. 

According to the British Independent Retailers Association, independent retailers make up over half of all UK retail businesses. These aren't footnotes in the story of British commerce, they're its beating heart. And increasingly, women are the ones keeping that heart beating. 

This International Women's Day, we're not just celebrating what these four have built. We're celebrating what they represent: an independent retail sector that is braver, more connected, and more resilient than the headlines would have you believe. 

Watch Their Stories 

The latest episodes of the Retail Makeover Mission are available here, alongside free toolkits you can apply directly to your own business: whether you're in fashion, gift, garden or interiors. 

Because every retailer deserves a team in their corner. 

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