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Placemaking & Public Sector

Our founder, Kate Hardcastle has been a longstanding supporter of UK high streets and has campaigned for changes to policy and management of town and city centres for many years.

She has written and produced numerous articles and broadcast pieces has written and numerous articles and broadcast pieces on the topic, including an ITV Tonight programme and for Forbes.

The Insight with Passion team work with numerous local authorities, landlords and tourist boards to revitalise UK high streets and retail zones. This involves delivering strategies which truly enliven and deliver places that are fit for purpose,  maximising partnerships, boosting the visitor experience and increasing spend, all with a view to improving the long term value and success of both larger and independent retail and hospitality businesses.

Our workshops and seminars bring together organisations from specific communities and sectors, offering tailored solutions whilst helping them to forge collaborative strategies for success.

Access for All

The 5.8m small businesses in the UK make up a vital part of our economy. That’s why we also dedicate over 20% of our time to our Access for All Programme, read more about it here.
related case studies

  • “IWP have helped us take a fresh look at our business and brand. Their retail expertise, coupled with a real understanding of consumer marketing have been an invaluable asset to make impactful changes to our business strategy.”

    Matthew Easter, Managing Director Trutex Ltd

  • "Kate Hardcastle has supported Financial Times conferences as a panellist, host, and interviewer. She is a skilful moderator and speaker who livens-up the drier topics and invariably contributes a fresh take on the critical issues facing the retail industry."

    Jeff Wagner, Head of Content, Financial Times

  • "Kate’s presentation and speaking style are both very natural and professional and she combined personal anecdotes, practical concepts, tools and advice with sage advice that was interesting, insightful and relevant."

  • "We have many emails from delegates, staff and local businesses, telling us that they really enjoyed listening to Kate and found her inspiring. She helped us put on a fabulous Conference"

  • "Kate’s unique insight into the retail landscape was timely and on target to help our community understand the challenges ahead."

  • "IWP have worked really closely with multiple areas of the business, visiting hubs and depots, listening into calls and spending time with agents and managers across a number of months ... they have been friendly, approachable and accessible throughout our journey"

  • “As an association committed to supporting Farm Shops across the UK, it’s been really helpful to be part of the Access for All scheme. Being able to connect our members with Kate’s expertise and knowledge has been a fantastic resource – especially throughout the challenges that 2020 had to offer! The insights have helped our members take a fresh look at their businesses and make positive plans for the future.”

    The Farm Retail Association

  • "Kate is the ultimate professional. With a serious amount of knowledge, coupled with the ability to debate the industry's biggest trends and challenges, she was the perfect host for Seamless Europe this year"

  • "Many thanks for your contribution once again to the business session at conference – I have had some great feedback from delegates and you left them wanting more!! We have been very pleased with the feedback and we received of 99% Excellent or Good from delegates.”

    The Advantage Travel Partnership

  • “The Retail Queen - Kate Hardcastle”

    Radio 4

  • "Kate’s presentation and speaking style are both very natural and professional and she combined personal anecdotes, practical concepts, tools and advice with sage advice that was interesting, insightful and relevant."

  • "Kate’s unique insight into the retail landscape was timely and on target to help our community understand the challenges ahead."

  • "The team brought their commitment, passion and expertise to bear in a way that really helped these businesses when they were facing really challenging times. Our team also learnt from the partnership and we will take this forward in or work"

    Eve Roodhouse, CO Economic Development

  • “It was a pleasure to collaborate with Kate & the team at IWP, from the initial brief through to the successful completion of the project, their customer centric approach was exemplary.”

    Seiko

  • "I take my hat off to you for making this feel like I was listening a friend talking to a friend. Very natural but so so interesting & inspiring"

  • "As a start up, with a challenging story to tell, DiaryDoll are so grateful to Insight with Passion - and their Access for All scheme - they have helped us open doors and minds, thank you! "

    Diary Doll