Last week, Macro welcomed more than 70 retail property, facilities management and workplace leaders to London for our latest Retail FM Event, bringing together some of the industry's leading brands to explore a key question facing today's retailers:

How can facilities management help bring the brand to life? 

Drawing on Macro's experience managing more than 1,200 retail stores globally, the event provided a platform for retail leaders to share perspectives on how facilities management is evolving from a support function into a strategic driver of customer experience, operational resilience and business growth. 

The event featured industry leaders representing Superdry, LEGO Group, ServiceChannel and a global clothing company famous for inventing and manufacturing the modern blue jean, alongside insights from Macro's retail specialists, attendees explored the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of retail FM. 

What emerged was a clear message: facilities management is no longer simply about maintaining buildings; it has become a critical contributor to the way customers experience brands, employees perform their roles and retailers achieve commercial success.

The emotions of Facilities Management in retail 

One of the evening's most memorable presentations came from Ian Morgan, Group Health & Safety and Facilities Manager at Superdry, who shared an honest, thought provoking account of the retailer's FM transformation journey. 

Rather than focusing solely on metrics and performance indicators, Ian framed the story around the emotions organisations experience when transforming facilities management; moving from an in-house model to fully outsourced.

He described a journey that began with confusion and frustration, characterised by fragmented supplier arrangements, limited asset visibility, compliance uncertainty, limited cost visibility and complex invoice management.  

Through collaboration and a move towards a strategic outsourced FM model, this evolved into confidence and ultimately pride, driven by improved governance, stronger compliance, greater cost control and improved stakeholder satisfaction. 

The presentation served as a powerful reminder that behind every FM transformation are people navigating change, building trust and creating better outcomes for their business. 

Creating Consistency Across Europe 

A Global Strategic Sourcing Manager from a global clothing company famous for inventing and manufacturing the modern blue jean, shared insights into the company's journey towards a more standardised and scalable facilities management model across Europe. 

As retail estates expand across multiple countries, maintaining consistent service levels, compliance standards and customer experiences becomes increasingly complex. The speaker explained how the brand has adopted a managing agent approach with Macro to provide greater transparency, operational consistency and visibility across its European portfolio. 

Highlighting the transformational impacts of the change, the speaker explained the challenges in managing stores across Europe and the need for change to create a consistent store & consumer experience. Following the introduction of the new model, the speaker took the audience through the journey of mobilisation; emphasising preparation, communication and training and the result delivering improved efficiency and compliance through standardisation. 

A recurring theme throughout the presentation was the importance of partnership. Through shared goals, open communication, regular training and a true "one team" approach, the organisation is creating stronger alignment between strategy and delivery across the retail store network.

The discussion reinforced the idea that successful FM programmes are built not only on processes and technology, but on collaboration and trust between client and partner. 

The speaker commented: “In Facilities management no one thanks you for the clean floors, the door that works, the toilet that flushes and for the toilet roll holder that works but you soon here when something is broken” 

LEGO Group x Macro: Only the best is good enough 

Macro’s Wouter Bijvoets was then joined by Peter Arman, Senior Retail operations Manager of LEGO Group, to explore the importance of culture and the collaboration that underpins the Macro and Lego Group relationship.  

"Det bedste er ikke for godt" is the official motto of Lego, which translates from Danish to mean "only the best is good enough" It carries the core values of the company since it start and sets the expectation for service delivery today. The "duck recall story" is a great testament to this. 

Wouter summarises the session:  

BMS Systems & IoT in Retail: Unlocking the Value of Data and Technology

Technology and innovation featured prominently throughout the evening, with Macro specialists exploring how Building Management Systems (BMS), IoT sensors and data analytics are reshaping retail operations. 

The discussion highlighted how modern retail environments generate vast amounts of operational data —and how, when effectively captured and analysed, this data can drive smarter decisions around energy consumption, maintenance, customer comfort and asset performance.

Attendees explored real-world case studies demonstrating how connected technologies can help retailers move from reactive maintenance towards a more predictive and proactive approach by: 

• Identifying issues before failures occur 
• Reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions 
• Improving compliance and reporting 
• Enhancing customer and employee experiences 
• Supporting long-term capital planning 
• Standardising processes across the estate 
• Protecting operations through landlord service monitoring

A key takeaway was that technology alone does not create value—people do. The real opportunity lies in transforming data into actionable insights that enable facility managers and key stakeholders to make better-informed decisions, both as part of wider retail estate strategy and in day-to-day operations. 

This is where AI-powered analytics can become a true differentiator. By turning complex operational data into meaningful, actionable insights, AI can help organisations extract greater value from their technology investments and translate them into tangible business outcomes. 

From Cost Centre to Growth Enabler: The changing role of FM 

Sam Priestley of ServiceChannel challenged traditional perceptions of facilities management and encouraged attendees to view FM through a different lens. 

His central message was clear: "Facilities isn't supporting retail operations. Facilities is retail operations." 

As stores continue to evolve into brand destinations, fulfilment hubs, click-and-collect locations and customer service centres, the role of FM has fundamentally changed. Facilities teams now play a direct role in protecting revenue, supporting operational resilience and delivering the customer experience that brands work so hard to create. 

The session also explored how retailers are progressing through a facilities maturity journey, moving from reactive decision-making towards more predictive, data-led strategies that improve both operational performance and commercial outcomes. 

Sam concluded the session with the message:

Panel Discussion: The Future of Retail FM

The evening concluded with a panel discussion hosted by the Macro team, extending the conversation beyond today's challenges and into what comes next for retail facilities management. 

Connected Data Must Come First 

One of the strongest themes to emerge was the importance of connected, reliable data. 

While retailers have access to more information than ever before, much of it remains fragmented across systems, suppliers and operational teams. Panelists discussed how bringing this information together creates a more complete picture of store performance, enabling faster decision-making, improved forecasting and greater operational resilience. 

The consensus was clear: retailers that can successfully connect their data will be better positioned to optimise performance, improve asset management and make more informed investment decisions. 

AI Will Only Be as Good as the Data Behind It 

While there was some discussion about the opportunities AI presents, the sessions had a consistent message; organisations must first establish strong data foundations before they can unlock meaningful value. 

From predictive maintenance and automated reporting to smarter scheduling and resource allocation, AI has the potential to transform facilities management. However, without accurate and connected data, businesses risk creating more complexity rather than gaining useful insight. 

The discussion highlighted that the future isn't simply about adopting AI technologies, but about creating the conditions that allow them to deliver measurable business value. 

Keeping Stores Open and Trading 

For many attendees, one of the most relatable discussions centred on a fundamental objective: keeping stores operational. 

Customers may never see the effort involved in maintaining compliance, managing assets, coordinating suppliers or responding to incidents, but they certainly feel the consequences when something goes wrong. 

The panel reinforced the critical role facilities teams play in maintaining operational continuity, protecting revenue and ensuring stores remain safe, welcoming and ready to trade every day. 

Brand Experience Starts Long Before a Purchase 

The event theme, Bringing the Brand to Life, remained central throughout the discussion. 

Panelists explored how facilities management directly influences how consumers perceive a brand. Everything from lighting and temperature to cleanliness, maintenance standards and asset reliability contributes to the overall customer experience. 

While customers may not consciously notice a well-managed environment, they quickly notice when standards fall short. In many cases, facilities performance has a direct impact on how customers feel about a brand, how long they stay and whether they choose to return. 

The discussion reinforced an important shift taking place across the industry: facilities management is increasingly becoming a brand experience function as much as an operational one. 

Looking ahead

Across every presentation and discussion, several themes consistently emerged: 

• Facilities management is becoming a strategic business function. 
• Customer experience is increasingly influenced by facility performance. 
• Connected data is fundamental to operational excellence. 
• AI and technology will transform decision-making, but only when supported by strong data foundations. 
• Strong partnerships deliver stronger outcomes. 
• Operational resilience remains critical to retail success. 

With more than 70 retail and facilities management professionals joining the conversation, the event demonstrated just how rapidly the role of FM is evolving. 

For Macro, managing over 1,200 stores globally provides a unique perspective on the operational, technological and customer experience challenges facing retailers today. The discussions throughout the evening reinforced what we see across our client portfolios every day: facilities management is no longer just supporting the brand, it is helping shape how the brand is experienced.

We would like to thank our speakers, attendees and event hospitality partner BaxterStorey for helping make the evening such a success. We look forward to continuing the conversation and bringing the retail FM community together again.