For retailers, by retailers
We built the academy
we wished we'd had.
Two retail careers, decades on the floor and in the boardroom, and one shared frustration: great retail training was either too generic, too expensive, or didn't exist at all. So we made our own.
How it started
A conversation that wouldn't go away.
We met working in retail — different companies, same realisation. The best lessons we'd learned came from people, not courses: a customer that gave us a direct feedback, a manager who showed us how a shop floor really breathes, a mentor who turned a bad quarter into a masterclass or a coworker that tolds us how they really feel.
But that knowledge was trapped in a few experienced heads, shared inconsistently, and lost the moment someone moved on. We kept saying someone should build this — until we decided that someone was us.
What we believe
Get 1% better every day, and after a year you're not 365% better — you're nearly 38× better.
The maths is almost unfair: 1.01365 = 37.78. That's the whole idea behind Retail Academy — not transformation overnight, but small, consistent, sustainable learning that stacks up.
The two of us
Real retail, made teachable.
Between us, decades inside some of the world's most demanding retail environments — and a shared belief that this craft can be taught well.
Co-founder
Binnaz Cubukcu
Leadership, AI & Human Resources
From frontline manager to people development expert — helping retail leaders grow with confidence, clarity, and purpose.
Co-founder
Kaan Salli
Commercial, Customer Experience & Operations
Kaan has led commercial and customer experience functions across multi-site retail operations for almost three decades. His focus is practical: what actually moves the numbers, what behaviours drive loyalty, and how you build teams that are genuinely great at serving people.
How we work
Three things we won't compromise on.
i.
Practical over theoretical
If it doesn't help on Monday morning, it doesn't make the cut.
ii.
By people who've done it
Taught by retailers with real scars and real wins — never recycled, generic e-learning.
iii.
Accessible to everyone
From a first-day starter to a regional director — affordable, accredited, built to grow with you.
Come grow with us.
Whether you're building a career or building a team, we'd love to help you keep getting better.