Welcome to this month’s Strategy Pulse, your shortcut to the strategic shifts, brand moves, and consulting headlines that actually matter.

In April, legacy retailers are reinventing themselves, Lego has delivered a masterclass in stakeholder strategy, and Trump’s global tax tantrum is giving every strategy team a mild existential crisis.

Buckle up.

The Big Shift: Retail’s Great Reinvention (Again)

If you thought bricks-and-mortar retail was on life support, think again.

April saw legacy players like John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, and even Debenhams (yes, them) making bold moves to reclaim relevance.

John Lewis is trialling small-format, convenience-led stores with embedded beauty, café, and tech experiences.

M&S is turning more of its stores into “digital showrooms,” blending online ordering with in-store sampling. Think Amazon meets afternoon tea.

🔹 Stat check

UK high street footfall rose by 7.2% in March, according to Springboard, the highest year-on-year increase since pre-COVID days.

🔹 Why It Matters

✅ Retailers are no longer just selling products. They’re curating experiences.

✅ Strategy is shifting from expansion to hybrid optimisation.

✅ The line between ecommerce and physical retail is being erased, one QR code at a time.

🔹 Takeaway

If your brand strategy still sees digital and physical as separate, you’re probably about six months behind the curve.

Brand in Focus: Lego Builds More Than Just Blocks

Lego just announced record-breaking growth for Q1 – up 12% year-on-year – with a big part of that credited to its renewed focus on employee culture and purposeful leadership.

CEO Poul Schou has prioritised internal innovation, giving teams more autonomy and reintroducing its “10% for Play” initiative, allocating time for experimental side projects.

🔹 Quote of the Month

“We’ve always built for kids – but now we’re building with our people too,” said Schou. “Innovation comes from joy, not deadlines.”

🔹 The Bigger Picture

✅ Employee engagement and purpose are directly tied to innovation outcomes.

✅ Lego is showing that internal strategyis just as important as external campaigns.

✅ Culture-first leadership isn’t fluffy; it’s profitable.

🔹 Takeaway

A strong internal strategy isn’t a “nice-to-have”; it’s a growth lever.

What’s Next: Trump’s Tariff Tsunami and Why Strategy Teams Are Sweating

Just as everyone was recovering from Q1 forecasting stress, Donald Trump hit “publish” on a tariff tantrum that’s rewriting global strategy playbooks in real time.

The new US tax levies, including a 10% blanket tariff on imports and up to 49% for “bad actors” (yes, including the EU), aren’t just a trade story.

They’re a strategic earthquake for global brands, consultancies, and innovation teams.

🔹 Stats check

European stock markets tanked by 12% in days, NASDAQ dropped 8.4%, and the FTSE had its worst day in over a year.

UK firms exporting to the US are now 10% less competitive overnight.

🔹Why It Matters

✅ Consulting firms are already pivoting. Expect a surge in “geopolitical resilience” workshops, new supply chain strategy mandates, and boardroom questions like “Should we pause US expansion?”

✅ Brand strategists face a global identity crisis. Suddenly, “Made in the UK” might be a liability across the Atlantic.

✅ For EU-based agencies and advisory firms, US clients may go quiet, while local brands scramble for domestic rebrands and localisation plays.

🔹Takeaway

This isn’t just about trade; it’s about strategic agility. The firms that can scenario-plan, shift quickly, and communicate clearly will be the ones still standing when the tariffs stop flying.