The Future Retail Challenge student competition has become an established and popular part of the World Retail Congress. Now in its 7th year, the Future Retail Challenge seeks to promote the future talent in the retail industry across the world. The World Retail Congress partners with retail colleges around the world that are in turn supported by the industry. It is the aim of the Future Retail Challenge to promote the principle of future retail talent, the work that these colleges do, the range of talented students they are preparing for careers in retailing and to bring the students’ fresh thinking and new ideas on retail into the Congress itself.
2017 CHALLENGE
Retail has been impacted by the rise of discounting, the disruption of digital and the fast fashion that has stretched globally from single country origins.
Traditional retailers in food, fashion and general merchandise are all today taking a full “omnichannel”, approach to serve customers. They provide seamless interactions to customers across numerous on line and traditional stores. Taking this base for
this years challenge, the task of each team will be:
Select a “Pureplay “retailer in your country that has been successful and has no "Bricks and Mortar stores". Develop a plan to launch a store reflecting the brand and positioning of the “online business’ It can be food, fashion or general merchandise.
The Judges will be looking at:
- How well you establish and market the expanded Bricks and Mortar store and how it interfaces with the online offer.
- How well your plan is thought out
- How you secured the site
- How you selected the Pure-play operator to work with
- How well your offer shows differentiation
- How your business case stacks up financially
- How you plan to build a profitable and sustainable business
- The quality and customer friendliness of the Pop up pod
SPONSORED BY:
TEAMS:
Fashion Retail Academy, London
Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Manipal University, Dubai
Faculty of Economics, University of Porto, Portugal
NY Institute of Technology, Abu Dhabi
2017 JUDGES:
Bernie Brookes
CEO
Edcon Group
Robin Sackin
Chairperson, Fashion Business Management Department
Fashion Institute of Technology
Jodie Fox
Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer
Shoes of Prey
