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Protectionism and shift towards Asia is redefining Global markets

Protectionism is the one consistent part of US President Donald Trump’s message, representing a decisive departure from the past, Martin Wolf, Editor and Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times, …

Ducrocq said that the findings supported the idea of a “bottom up” approach to marketing, remembering to trust both staff and customers, offering demonstration and co-creation and being prepared for “ …

Touchpoints are crucial in the new world of luxury, according to Michael Ward, CEO, Harrods, who said that the future of luxury is about creating a single customer relationship at a panel session at W …

Retail rents debate needed to back malls

Discussing the future of malls at a special real estate session, Centennial Real Estate Founder & CEO Steven Levin said that the complexity around click and collect, customers returning goods to store …

Retail skills needed to address hunger in Africa

Fleischer said that the organisation has made a shift from 95% in-kind benefit to 30% cash in many poverty-stricken markets and decsribed Syria as “the big change” in policy, when the body worked with …

Retail will reinvent as service in connected world

In a wide-ranging address on the role of automation in life and business, he told World Retail Congress delegates in Madrid on Thursday: “Tech is what brings everything together. The notion is that mu …

Retailers and consumers need to work for a fairer world

Sir Stuart Rose, Non-Executive Director of Majid al Futtaim and Woolworths South Africa, told the World Retail Congress delegation that both they and consumers have a shared responsibility to change t …

Retailers must adapt or die to compete in future

Kingfisher Chief Executive Veronique Laury laid out stark choices for retailers if they wish to thrive in the future, in a wide-ranging discussion at the World Retail Congress in Madrid yesterday. Alt …

Retailers need to be ahead of the curve in ethics and diversity

At a conference where ethics and diversity have already been discussed at length, James Rhee, Founder of FirePine Group and Executive Chairman & CEO of plus-size fashion brand Ashley Stewart, and Neel …

Retailers need to focus on profitable customers not unachievable targets

“We live in an age of relatively good products at relatively good prices,” he said of the current retail environment but said that the climate is also familiar. “We have been through this with Y2K and …

Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, Executive Director, Customer, Marketing & M&S.com, Marks & Spencer, said that online operators' very fast real time response is something legacy retailers need to try and co …

Retailers under pressure to change fast in vast China

Richard Liu said his company was using drones to deliver to remote villages in China because consumers would not accept the two-day delivery plans offered in Europe. “In China that would be a disaster …

Scale and speed key to developing from legacy business

Retailers need to look at how they innovate and develop at scale if they are to successfully transition from their legacy positions, Ahold Delhaize CEO for Europe and Indonesia Wouter Kolk told delega …

Sephora focuses on core markets and localisation for growth

Sephora is committing to delivering its ongoing growth through a focus on its core markets and new country expansion at around two per year, CEO Christopher de Lapuente told delegates at World Retail …

Spanish fashion retailer Cortefiel unveils new name

Chief Executive Jaume Miquel revealed the new name and logo at the World Retail Congress in Madrid on Tuesday morning at a special press conference. “We’ve concluded a process of transformation,” Miqu …

Spanish Prime Minister opens World Retail Congress

Retail, the digital revolution and Spain's success as a tourist destination were the key themes from Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's opening address as he inaugurated the 2018 World Retail Cong …

Store apocalypse? Not just yet for retail

“We hear that if as a customer we are not engaged then we don't count. We also hear that retailers are here not to sell us stuuf, but to save the planet,” he said. “I would say that's hogwash.” While …

Stores and sales associates arm retailers with differentiation

Magazine Luiza CEO Frederico Trajano said that online retail now represents 35% of all sales for the Brazilian retailer and is still growing. However, he remains a firm advocate of stores. “Brazil is …

Tencent looks to capture offline customers online

Leveraging technology to create a seamless online and offline experience to build sales from stores is creating new ways of shopping, Cecilia Tian, General Manager, Tencent Smart Retail, told World Re …

These days no one fundamentally sells anything that can’t be bought elsewhere. Success therefore demands, if what you’re selling isn’t unique - the way you do it had better be! This is why winners lov …

However, it has also unlocked new opportunities at an unprecedented rate for those agile and innovative enough to seize them. The industry stands at a precipice of a period that will define the succes …

The future of lifestyles, retail and cities are inter-linked

Does the combination of the future of the way we live and the future of our cities, equal the future of retail? Dr Marc Pons, Director of Andorra Innovation hub, Dr. Stephan Fanderl, CEO Karstadt, Kaa …

Lane Crawford has kept all stores open in Hong Kong and China, except for one store in Beijing which was closed because the shopping mall was closed. Joyce and On Pedder have remained open. ImagineX h …

With robots and artificial intelligence already having an impact on retail, where will this ultimately take us and what will it mean for retailers, their customers and the people that work in the indu …

Retail and Consumer Industries are in a volatile state of transformation and change. Over the last seventy years three distinct retail business phases can be identified. Until 1950, retail had a capti …

The huge potential of Africa is being missed by overseas retailers, who should be looking at the investment and expansion opportunities now, an African-based panel told World Retail Congress delegates …

As part of a next generation Lab session at World Retail Congress this morning she said that the emotional involvement of creating your own product gelled with millennial-mindset consumers. “You see i …

Tmall promises Chinese foothold for big and small

“For a small and medium-sized enterprise it has never been so easy to do business with China”, he said, saying Tmall helped businesses grow both online and offline brands. As an example, British baby …

Peter King, CEO of Magasin du Nord, said: “Operation skills transfer to the omni-channel environment and retailers should build on that skill base. It’s still about understanding the customer, underst …

Protectionism and shift towards Asia is redefining Global markets

Radical transparency and loving your customer

Relationships are the future of Retail

Retail rents debate needed to back malls

Retail rents debate needed to back malls

Retail skills needed to address hunger in Africa

Retail will reinvent as service in connected world

Retailers and consumers need to work for a fairer world

Retailers must adapt or die to compete in future

Retailers need to be ahead of the curve in ethics and diversity

Retailers need to focus on profitable customers not unachievable targets

Retailers need to grasp online insight

Retailers under pressure to change fast in vast China

Scale and speed key to developing from legacy business

Sephora focuses on core markets and localisation for growth

Spanish fashion retailer Cortefiel unveils new name

Spanish Prime Minister opens World Retail Congress

Store apocalypse? Not just yet for retail

Stores and sales associates arm retailers with differentiation

Tencent looks to capture offline customers online

The battle of the Christmas adverts – who are the real winners?

The digital revolution is upon us

The future of lifestyles, retail and cities are inter-linked

The Lane Crawford Joyce Group COVID-19 Response

The road ahead is not what you expect

The Three Pillars of Success in Retail 2020

The time to invest in Africa is now

Think social media and personalisation for next gen retail

Tmall promises Chinese foothold for big and small

Traditional retail skills still relevant

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