The fourth World Retail Congress Asia Pacific will be held in Singapore for the second time with an in-depth focus on the new era in Asia retailing. Running from 24th to 27th March, 2014 at Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore, it will see the participation of multi-national and regional retailers, including Gap, Walmart, Zalora.com, Tesco, SPAR International, NTUC Fairprice Co-operative and Courts, amongst others.
The 2014 Congress will witness retail leaders sharing their insights on retail trends and opportunities in Asia Pacific. Key speakers at the event include Scott Price, CEO and President, Walmart Asia; John Spelich, Group Vice President, Alibaba; Kesri Kapur, Group CEO, RSH Singapore Ltd; Redmond Yeong, Vice Chairman, Gap Greater China; Kian Peng Seah, NTUC Fairprice International; Gordon Campbell, CEO, SPAR International, Dean Thompson, MD, Boots International; Terry O’Connor, Group CEO, Courts Asia; Harry Markl, Regional MD, Zalora ; Simon Calver, CEO, Mothercare; and Sarah O’Donnell, CEO, Seibu Enterprise Company.
In response to an overwhelming interest in China, the Congress will hold an exclusive one-day ‘Exploring China Focus Day’ on 24th March. Leading retailers from Alibaba Group, MCM Worldwide, Coats, Affinity, VF Corporation and key industry observer James Roy of China Market Research Group will be sharing their perspective on China’s retail landscape and exchanging corporate strategies with the audience. The forum will include sessions on the evolution of Chinese malls and hypermarkets and the future of multi-channel retail in China, amongst many others.
The event will also include an Asia growth markets focus. With a growing middle class, uneven liberalising regulatory landscape, and varied developmental stages, the Congress will discuss the challenges faced by regional retail leaders in six key markets: Indonesia, India, Japan, Korea, The Philippines, and Malaysia. Alongside the new market insights, statistics and research that will be unveiled at the Congress, other key themes include supply chain innovation, effective retail marketing, leadership strategies, and the future of retail banking in Asia Pacific.
Insightful keynotes from leading retail experts over the three days will be yet another highlight of the event including a speech from Gordon Campbell, CEO, Spar International and Simon Calver, CEO, Mothercare who will together examine the ever changing consumer demographics in the region; Ira Kalesh, Chief Economist, Deloitte will examine the global outlook and the major growth drivers for the retail market within the Asia Pacific region; Scott Price, CEO, Walmart Asia will share tips on how to combine global expertise with local knowledge; while Kent Siu-Kee Wong, Managing Director, Chow Tai Fook will examine Asia’s evolving retail luxury landscape.
Looking forward to the World Retail Congress Asia Pacific in March, Ian McGarrigle, Chairman of the World Retail Congress, said: “We are delighted to be holding this year’s Congress in Singapore, for the second year running. Singapore is not only the gateway to Asia Pacific but a premier retail destination in itself. This year’s Congress not only sees the launch of the ‘China Focus Day’ but will include an in-depth look at Asia’s most exciting growth markets. We have an outstanding line up of speakers this year and are confident that delegates visiting the Congress will find it both inspiring and of enormous strategic value”.
The World Retail Congress, part of i2i Events Group portfolio, was launched in 2007, to be a platform for senior retail executives to meet and discuss the most important topics affecting retailers across the world. It has been held in Barcelona (2007-9), Berlin (2010-11) and London (2012) and is attended by up to 1,000 industry leaders from more than 60 countries.
