Nothing says it’s nearly Christmas like settling down in front of a roaring fire, switching on the telly and watching minor celebrities getting covered in cockroaches.

Nothing says it’s nearly Christmas like settling down in front of a roaring fire, switching on the telly and watching minor celebrities getting covered in cockroaches.

If you’ve missed the goings on in the I’m A Celebrity jungle over the last couple of weeks, let me enlighten you. As a chief executive, wife and mother I don’t get too much time for TV but I do like to keep abreast of what all our customers are watching and talking about.

Love or loathe it, there’s no denying Ant and Dec are brilliant at what they do - presenting TV shows, not starring in Christmas adverts - and that I’m A Celebrity does occasionally ignite national debate.

The protagonists at the heart of the most recent water-cooler conversation were Amy Willerton, erstwhile Miss Universe Great Britain, and Rebecca Adlington, double World and Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer.

If you were looking for a high-achieving, female role model, Becky Adlington would top many people’s list, so when she negatively compared herself to Amy lots of people were surprised.

But like all too many women, scratch the surface and insecurities about body image persist. I’m just glad that she was as honest as she was.

Anyway, it got me thinking: we often attribute human qualities and emotions to our brands and businesses, so what are our retail insecurities?

Who’s got the most beautiful windows, the most charming Christmas advert and the strongest product offer? Who’s best prepared for the challenges of the retail jungle? And who do you look at and wish you had their figures

I know many retailers will always feel insecure next to John Lewis. Its Christmas campaign has it all - clever script, beautifully crafted film and a delightful number-one song, all tied together in a bow that encompasses its hare and bear window displays and matching bags. And cracking figures prove it is more than just a pretty face.

I’m also sure that there are those among us who will look longingly at those selling the big-ticket tech products this Christmas. You don’t have to shift too many units of the latest PlayStation, Xbox or Apple gadgets for the till roll to get up a head of steam, especially when at least one of those items will feature on pretty much every Christmas list.

Then there are others who will wish they had both the store portfolio and big data capability of Amazon and Asos, especially in the frenzy of the post-Christmas Sale when merchandising plans and stock packages start to break in the quest to clear our lines. At times like this, being a pure-play online retailer can look very appealing.

But if I’m A Celebrity teaches us anything - and it really shouldn’t - it’s that we’ve all got something unique and wonderful to offer the world of retail.

We just have to make sure we’re not the retail equivalent of Joey Essex and end up eating kangaroo testicles just to make a living.

Topics