Paul Clifford
I’m a commercially-driven retail and property Director with over 20 years of experience delivering value, innovation, and operational excellence for some of the UK’s most recognisable brands, including Boots, DSG, and IKEA. Over the past 12 years, I’ve focused on transforming retail and leisure environments, leading the commercial strategy for Merlin Entertainments across flagship attractions like Thorpe Park and LEGOLAND.
My expertise also spans property management across London, Berkshire, Surrey, and Norfolk, where I’ve applied a hands-on, performance-focused approach that blends commercial insight with operational delivery. At the heart of everything I do is a strong belief in adding real, measurable value for clients — commercially, operationally, and experientially.
Alongside corporate leadership, I’ve embraced entrepreneurship — founding two commercial partnership ventures, including Flourish, which I built independently from the ground up.
I bring a rare blend of real retail understanding ,corporate scale, entrepreneurial spirit, and a deep understanding of what drives customer engagement and commercial performance in both retail and property sectors.
Speaking at
Understanding the needs of retailers to fill spaces: With hundreds of meetings taking place at today’s event, what do you need to know to close more deals?
- What are the expansion strategies for the next 12 months for the UK’s leading retailers? Where are they looking to grow, and what types of spaces are in highest demand?
- Understanding retailer priorities: What are the key factors influencing site selection – footfall, demographics, lease flexibility, or something else?
- How are economic conditions shaping plans for growth?
- Streamlining deal-making: How can landlords, agents, and developers tailor their offerings to match retailer needs and accelerate agreements?
- What are the biggest barriers preventing retailers from securing new sites, and how can these be overcome?