full biography - K3 Retail Conference

Mary Portas
Retail expert Mary Portas has been employed by the government to turn around
British highstreets, is credited with transforming Harvey Nichols and has produced a
host of retail and business-themed TV programmes.
A determined, passionate advocate of British retail, Mary is at the forefront of making
the nation better consumers and the country’s shops better businesses. Her career
started on the shop floor, rising through the ranks of John Lewis, Harrods and the
Burton Group before being appointed Creative Director at Harvey Nichols. With the
aid of cutting edge artists, designers, and a TV show called Absolutely Fabulous,
Mary turned the store into a retail powerhouse and was on the board of the company
by the age of 30. She has since worked with some of the world’s premier retail and
product brands including Westfield, Clark’s, Dunhill, Louis Vuitton, Oasis Stores,
Mercedes-Benz, and Boden.
On television, Mary has presented on both BBC1 BBC2 and Channel 4. In Secret
Shopper, she went undercover in some of the nation’s biggest retailers to expose the
wide lack of customer service culture. In Mary, Queen of Shops she helped turn
around struggling small retail businesses. She has also fronted series on charity
shops, fashion, manufacturing and her efforts to rejuvenate the high street.
In speeches Mary discusses the changes in consumer behaviour as a result of the
economic climate, the digital revolution and efforts to protect the environment. With
critical insight, she examines how different retail sectors are responding and how
brands of all shapes and sizes can best stand out. She also looks at the mistake
retailers of all types make, and how to fix them.
Mary is also the author of How to Shop with Mary Queen of Shops, a book
instructing readers on how to shop more efficiently, uncovering the tricks of the trade
and when to hit the sales. She is the founder of Portas, one of London’s leading
creative retail agencies. She has also launched her own fashion and footwear
brands, and shop within House of Fraser, and written a weekly Daily Telegraph
column called Shop!