Your Store Can Be Redesigned
Your Location and Lease Are Much Harder to Undo
Retail Growth helps first-time UK founders compare locations, negotiate commercial terms and plan the route to opening before expensive commitments are locked in.
Explore Advisory SupportOver 20 years’ experience across retail, property, store development and launch
Why Retail Projects Run Into Trouble
Most retail projects do not run into trouble because the concept is weak. They run into trouble because important decisions are made in the wrong order, before their full cost and consequences are understood.
- A location looks busy but does not attract enough of the right customers.
- Heads of Terms are agreed before the full cost and risk are understood.
- Design work begins before property and landlord requirements are resolved.
- Money is committed before the delivery plan and budget are clear.
Each decision can look reasonable on its own. The risk appears when those decisions are combined and become expensive to change.
Retail Growth helps founders test those decisions earlier, while there is still time to compare options, negotiate, change direction or walk away.
The VenQ® Framework
Opening a store is not one decision. It is a sequence of decisions.
VenQ® gives that sequence a clear structure, so founders can move forward with more confidence and fewer costly mistakes.
Vision
Define your retail concept and commercial model
  Stage 1
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Evaluate
Assess locations properly before committing
 Stage 2
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Negotiate
Secure the right lease and commercial terms
 Stage 3
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Quality Build & Launch
Plan the design, build and launch in the right sequence
 Stage 4
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Ways to Work With Retail Growth
Retail Growth works with founders at different stages in the process.
Advisory Services
Hands-on support to compare locations, negotiate commercial terms and plan a more controlled route to opening.
Kiosk Advisory
Specialist support for founders exploring kiosk concepts in shopping centres and other high-footfall environments.
Book, Toolkits & Academy
Practical ways to learn, prepare and work independently before committing to property, design or fit-out.
FREE COURSE
Before You Sign
The Five Decisions That Protect Your First Retail Location
A free 45-minute course for first-time UK retail founders preparing to open a store, salon, boutique or service-led location.
Work through the five early decisions to make before committing to a property, agreeing Heads of Terms, signing a lease or progressing into store design.
The course follows the VenQ® Framework and helps you understand what comes first, what still needs checking and when to investigate, negotiate, change direction or walk away.
Get Free Access to Before You Sign
About Retail Growth
Retail Growth was built around one idea: the decisions made before the shopfit and launch often determine the outcome.
We work directly with UK founders on location search, commercial terms, landlord approvals and design coordination, so the foundations hold up once the pressure is on.
Retail Growth exists to give first-time and independent retailers the commercial judgement that usually only comes from having done it before.
View Advisory ServicesAbout The Founder
I’m Luke Geddes, a UK retail consultant with over twenty years’ experience across beauty and wellness, fashion, and lifestyle retail.
I help founders make stronger decisions around location, commercial lease negotiation, store planning and the route to opening, so their businesses are built on firmer foundations from the outset.
After seeing how often founders are left with vague advice and costly avoidable mistakes, I created Retail Growth to offer clearer, more practical support at the stage where the right decisions matter most.
I’m also the author of The Retail Roadmap, a practical guide for founders preparing to open their first physical store with more confidence and structure.
The Retail Roadmap
Frequently Asked Questions
Haven't found a location yet?
Do you work with all retail business types?
I've already signed a lease. Can you still help?
What happens after I apply?
Why not just use a commercial agent?
Do you cover the whole UK?
Do you replace my solicitor, designer or other professional advisers?
Do you design and shopfit the store?
Protect the Decisions That Are Hardest to Undo
If you are planning your first physical store, Retail Growth can help you assess the location, commercial terms and route to opening before you are locked into expensive commitments.
Explore Advisory Support