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The 2023 World Retail Congress will take as its theme: “Retail Leadership for Extraordinary Times”. It will build on the critically acclaimed 2022 World Retail Congress which focused on the key “pillars” to “rebuild a better retail” that were identified as being essential if the industry was to emerge stronger from over two years of the pandemic. But the world picture now looks different again and retailers are having to adjust to the critical issues of retail leadership and being a leading retailer. 

The 2023 programme will therefore be built around four key interconnected descriptors of world-leading retailing. We will be working with world-class knowledge partners who will produce and present exclusive, original studies on key aspects related to these areas of Retail Leadership for Extraordinary Times.

The four aspects of being a leading retailer

Resilient retail

Making the tough decisions around costs, business efficiency, sourcing and supply chain in order to better serve their customers needs

Purposeful retail

That understands the role and responsibilities of businesses in driving ESG change. It is also about recognising how businesses have to change from within and that the best retailers now embrace  and reflect the needs of all generations and diversity of people whether they are employees or customers.

Transformational retail

That has the vision to see how the on and offline retail channels have to increasingly come together and redefine the retail experience. Within this, retailers are working out the new role of the store and its integration with online. How should online retail move to the next stage following its massive acceleration and how can it deliver profitable growth and what opportunities truly exist in the metaverse? What are the enabling tools such as AI and AR and how should retailers use them as part of this transformational journey?

Customer-focused retail

Through all the changes we’ve experienced, it has never been clearer that the retail winners will be those that truly put the consumer at the heart of everything they do. Understanding consumer change and consumer behaviours are therefore critical as is the need to realign and refocus the whole business and its organisation in order to serve today’s challenged and challenging customer. 

Hear the latest news, insights & updates from the Congress