大象传媒

Retailers are always on the lookout for the next big thing and in this series the buying teams of three high street giants are prepared to take an enormous gamble by asking members of the public to supply them with the next bestselling product. This is a chance of a lifetime for unknown designers and producers to pitch directly to the retail industry's power-brokers and have the opportunity to get their product stocked in prestigious shops. Over six months, retail entrepreneur Theo Paphitis will be following both buyers and suppliers as they experience the highs and guaranteed lows of bringing a product to market, from initial pitch to shop shelf. Whilst many won't make the grade, for a lucky few it will be a life-changing experience.

The crash course in retail reality continues for our hopeful producers and designers as they try to get to grips with the basics: stock buying, manufacturing costs and setting up studios. Along the way, some long-held dreams are dashed whilst others seem destined for success - at least for the time being.

At the household retailer's, Elaine Armstrong's children's bike-pulling system is a cause for concern for creative director Theo Williams, while both Debbie Evershed and her garden-hanging system get a grilling from Theo Paphitis.

Meanwhile, Russ Leith's screwless shelf meets the might of the health and safety team. Whilst the pharmacy chain buyers are busy with the future of fertility, Birgitte Lydum gets a storage headache from a large delivery of stock with still no retailer to rely on, and as some department store designers step up a gear as launch date looms, others appear to be going in reverse.

As confusion amongst contributors reigns, thankfully Theo Paphitis is on hand to help put it all into context.