Ron Thurston is championing a powerful truth: at the heart of every thriving retail brand is human connection. After decades of experience on the selling floor and in executive roles, he is spotlighting what many brands overlook — that “retail is open to all,” offering a rare space where human interactions, not transactions, are the real currency. “You can go to any mall in the world today and spend four hours talking to people,” says Mr. Thurston. “The more welcoming we are as an industry, the more influence we have on change.”

Mr. Thurston, a retail consultant and author of the bestselling “Retail Pride” and “Human Pride”, which launches on May 6, emphasizes that the emotional connection between customers and frontline staff is often the deciding factor in customer loyalty. “Sometimes the only positive human interaction a person gets all day is with someone at a store,” he says. “That moment matters more than we realize.” In a hyper-connected world where loneliness is increasingly common, retail offers something technology cannot replicate: genuine, human warmth.