Tue 23 May 2023 | by Rob Hutchins

The Entertainer joins 200 retailers heading to Retail Trust's wellbeing festival Together Fest

The Theo Paphitis Retail Group and The Entertainer are among the 200 retailers sending staff to the Retail Trust’s wellbeing festival for retail workers when it returns to London next week (Thursday, 25^th May). The event – which was launched by the Retail Trust last year to unite retail colleagues for a ‘brilliantly restorative day out’ – will double in size and capacity this year to accommodate 1,200 people from over 200 retailers, including H&M, Starbucks, and Next. Together Fest aims to bring to life the Trust’s ethos of improving the hope, health, and happiness of the UK’s three million workers with a full day of inspiring talks, masterclasses, and interactive sessions featuring an all-star line-up of wellness champions and celebrities. Comedian Katherine Ryan, TV doctor Dr Alex George, and England footballer Stuart Pearce MBE will all be in attendance. Speaking of The Entertainer’s attendance this year, a spokesperson said: “We’re proud to be a part of the Retail Trust’s Together Fest and hope that our colleagues who attend will enjoy coming together with others in the industry at the event, which champions improving the health and happiness of workers in the UK. “At The Entertainer, we work with the Retail Trust to provide staff a range of company-wide benefits including virtual GP appointments, wellbeing support and more which we hope enriches the hope, health, and happiness of each and every one of our colleagues across over 170 stores, distribution centres, and head office.” The event will be hosted by presenter, author, and flexible working campaigner, Anna Whitehouse alongside a list of wellbeing experts. There will be talks on topics such as preventing burnout, making healthier lifestyle decisions, and raising awareness of domestic abuse. It will also feature masterclasses for attendees to learn sleep improvement techniques and how to banish imposter syndrome. The mental health activist, Charly Cox will deliver a live poetry reading, while Hobbycraft will put on a series of healthy cookery demos and craft workshops. Research carried out by the Retail Trust last year found that one third of people working for the UK’s biggest retailers wanted to quit the industry, while eight out of ten staff had experienced declining mental health due to financial concerns, abuse from customers, and post-pandemic fatigue. “Together Fest represents everything the Retail Trust has always stood for, both by equipping people with the essential tools to improve their wellbeing and by fostering a real sense of pride in working for the retail industry,” said Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust. “We’ve built on the success of last year’s event and all the amazing feedback we received from the hundreds of retail workers who attended to make this year’s Together Fest even bigger and better.”