Retail Finance Forum: From AI Hype to Real-World Impact
Cat Kelly
5 minute read
Retail & Consumer Accountants
Fast-paced, ever-twisting, always turning. The retail rollercoaster won’t slow down. And to keep up, you need advisers who’ve supported your peers, with the experience and fresh ideas to spot opportunities.
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RETAIL RULES. AND WE LIVE IT.
Sure, loads of firms will say the same. But loads of firms lack the expertise, credentials, and connections to back that up. Our Head of Retail, Cat Kelly, is a former Chair of the ICAEW Retail Advisory Group, leading the accountancy industry’s response to over 5,000 retail community members and liaising with the government on what’s critical to the market.
And with ongoing relationships with more than a third of large retailers in the Midlands. Along with a portfolio of retail clients based across the UK. We’re a leading adviser in the sector, and we’re rightfully proud of the clients we act for and the work we deliver – both for and with them.
WHY COOPER PARRY?
We know what keeps retail business owners and leadership teams up at night.
Balancing growth with cash flow. Managing stock and margins. Attracting and retaining great people. Expanding into new channels. Navigating rising costs and changing consumer behaviours. Preparing for investment, acquisition, succession or an eventual exit.
Several of our team have worked within major retail organisations including Dunelm, Boots, NEXT and Co-op, giving us first hand commercial insight into how successful retailers operate. We combine that sector expertise with deep experience supporting ambitious privately owned and owner managed businesses.
From founder led brands and family owned retailers to management owned businesses and private equity backed growth stories, we help leadership teams make better decisions, build stronger finance functions and create sustainable value.
Whether that means outsourced finance support, tax planning, funding, acquisitions, technology transformation, succession planning or exit readiness, we’re there at every stage of the journey.
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Latest Retail News
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Our clients include grocers, petrol stations, convenience stores, fashion retailers, sports and outdoor retailers, e-commerce entrepreneurs and household names.
We work with online retailers. Bricks and mortar businesses. And retailers successfully combining both.
We support privately owned and owner-managed retail businesses at every stage of their lifecycle. From founder led start-ups and rapidly scaling challenger brands to established family businesses and market leading retailers.
Many are pursuing ambitious growth plans. Some are seeking investment. Others are expanding internationally, acquiring competitors, transitioning ownership to the next generation, or preparing for a future exit.
Whatever your ambitions, our role is simple: to help build value in your business and give you the confidence to make the decisions that matter most.
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Retail is a fast moving, plate spinning, never a dull moment kind of world. That’s why we’re here to help you keep it all running smoothly.
Our team acts as an extension of yours, providing expertise across finance, tax, audit, deals, technology and growth advisory. We support privately owned and owner managed retailers with everything from day to day operational challenges through to transformational moments.
Whether you’re improving profitability, strengthening reporting, raising finance, implementing new systems, considering an acquisition, planning for succession or preparing for exit, we’ll bring the expertise, resource and retail know how you need.
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We’ve worked alongside retail businesses through every stage of their evolution. From ambitious start ups and founder led ventures to established privately owned retailers operating at scale.
Many of our relationships span years, sometimes decades. Supporting clients through growth, acquisitions, investment rounds, international expansion, succession planning and successful exits.
Because we don’t just understand retail.
We understand the unique challenges, opportunities and ambitions that come with owning and leading a privately owned retail business.
And that’s where we make a lasting difference.
Why Clients Love Us
Let’s talk today
Want us to call you? Let’s start a conversation!
Get in touch with Cat Kelly
Upcoming Retail Events
2 minute read
Built to Scale: Consumer | London | 12th November 2026
- Thursday 12th November
- 8:30 - 10:30am
- CP Shoreditch Superhub
3 minute read
Retail Finance Forum Reset: Consumer Trends, Controls and Protecting Profit
- Wednesday 18th November
- 9.30am - 11.30am
- Cooper Parry - East Midlands
Retail Reviews
CHRIS, MAY 25
“Efficient and painless.”
SARAH, APRIL 25
“Audit services – Mel Hopwell, Katie Cotton, Lizzi Bee and team.”
KELVIN, MARCH 25
“Prompt replies. Accounts are done well. It would be ideal if we could have the same auditor for several years.”
NICK, MARCH 25
“Reached a pragmatic approach with regards to delay in producing next set of accounts.”
JEN, MARCH 25
“Very supportive and helpful with our queries.”
ANTHONY, MARCH 25
“Audit process (which is the majority of our interaction) is very efficient and always runs smoothly, so i would award 5 stars on the basis of audit alone, however ad-hoc service responses can be a bit slow in my personal opinion and we received some incorrect tax advice in the last year resulting in me having to pay a c£24k interest liability to HMRC, hence the lower score reflected above.”
DAVID, JAN 25
“The 2023 audit went very well. The challenge to improve for 2024 will be due to a change in audit manager. Hopefully your handover processes are smooth and we will not notice any deterioration in service.”
LUKE, DEC 24
“5 star for the audit service. I’ve only downgraded to a 4 star because of some support we received in getting some tax advice when we had a company fatality and although the team were swift to support, I felt the fee was excessive in a time when our Company was going through an exceptionally tough time.”
MICHAEL, NOV 24
“The onboarding process took a very long time and could have been made simpler e.g. issuing an Excel schedule that lists out all of the required information that is needed (rather than going back and forth asking additional queries via email). However once the deliverable was provided, the Cooper Parry team were quite responsive when it came to follow up queries. The Cooper Parry team also demonstrated pro-activeness e.g. by setting up a call to give an update and discuss certain elements of the deliverable that required clarity.”
KERRY, NOV 24
“I’ve loved working with Fern and Steph over the past 3 years – they are really a super team! They are always on hand should we have a question and very helpful in their answers. The Scheme Accounts are always signed before the deadline dates and any issues are always raised, so the team can sort out. I recommend CP to every client I have and any others going through a tender for an Auditor (I should be paid commission in all honesty 😉 )”
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