Retailers to take on the digital evolution and ailing high street at Retail Week Live
Senior business leaders from the world’s biggest retailers will be tackling the issues contributing to unprecedented challenges in retail following the worst year on record for the industry in 2019.
Dave Lewis (CEO of Tesco), Peter Jelkeby (Country Retail Manager UK & Ireland, Ikea), Richard Walker (MD, Iceland Foods Ltd) and Beth Horn (Head of Industry for Retail at Facebook) will be among 200 plus influential figures speaking at Retail Week Live 2020.
The digital evolution, sustainability, the declining high street and how to win business from the increasingly conscious consumer will be addressed in a packed and powerful programme at the London event which takes place on 25th and 26th March. The two-day conference provides delegates with ideas, insights and the tools required to lead through the digital transformation in a series of strategic sessions, workshops and seminars.
“Retail is facing the greatest period of disruption in living memory. Retail and commerce businesses know that they cannot keep up with the pace of change alone. Building an ecosystem that will fuel growth has become critical to success and this is where the new Retail Week Live comes in. At Retail Week Live, we will unite business leaders and their teams to solve issues, align their thinking and meet key partners. It’s about building intelligent networks between retailers and their partners, and it happens at Live” said Hannah Tovey, Retail Week Live’s Programme Director.
The opening keynote speech will come from former shelf stacker Richard Walker, (MD, Iceland Foods Ltd). Richard started out at Iceland working on the shop floor, gathering vital experience, working his way to the top of the business founded by his father Sir Malcolm Walker a half a century ago. A committed environmentalist and now leader of Iceland’s sustainability programme, Richard will speak about ‘democratising environmentalism and business as a catalyst for a step change in sustainability’. This is a topic championed by the frozen food empire whose sustainable development goals include a pledge to eliminate all plastic packaging from their ‘own label’ range by 2023.
Speaking about his keynote speech on 25th March, Richard said: “Our world is changing fast, and all businesses must change if they are to survive. With faith in politicians at an all-time low, people want and expect corporations to take action on issues ranging from climate change, plastic pollution and deforestation to isolation and poverty.” Richard’s talk will explain how Iceland’s ‘Doing It Right’ strategy is committed to empowering ‘ordinary’ people by offering them ethical choices that are usually only available to wealthy, middle class consumers, and to delivering significant environmental improvements while enhancing social justice and maintaining a sustainably profitable business.
This year’s theme: ‘Retail Evolved: Thriving in a Digital World’ sees many more leaders from global brands heading up the bill including Facebook, Amazon, The Body Shop, Co-Op Food, McDonalds, Starbucks and Sky Ocean Rescue to name a few, all sharing thought leadership, best practice and more.
Founders and leaders of dynamic and young disruptive businesses also feature in the line-up, including dating app Hinge, Tails.com, Spoon Guru and Crosstown Doughnuts.
Sophie Frères (Née Spethmann) co-founded a business at the very forefront of digital retail, LiSA, a live-stream-shopping plug-in for ecommerce and online shops.
“The era of the purely convenience-seeking online consumer is over. Today, they seek superior experience, inspiration, entertainment – in one word – ‘entertainmerce’ – and predominantly they find it on social media. True to the mantra “go where your customers are”, both retailers and brands are increasingly relying on such platforms for growth. Yet it seems we are now approaching a turning point as they realise that this has come at a cost. How can retailers and brands benefit from social media platforms’ reach without losing valuable customer data, insights and conversion? How can they create experiences for customers which inspire, engage and ultimately convert on their own domains? At Retail Week Live we look forward to giving the industry our outlook on these current, topical challenges.”
Among the extensive list of 2020 speakers at Retail Week Live:
- Henry Lane-Fox, CEO and Founder, Founders Factory
- Henry Birch, Group CEO, Shop Direct
- Katharine Stewart, Director of Ethical Trade & Environmental Sustainability, Primark
- Gavin Shetly, VP, Product Engineering, IKEA Group
- Jonathan Petrides, Founder, allplants
- Julian Hearn, Founder and CMO, Huel
- Helen Normoyle, Chief Marketing Officer, Boots
- Camilla Barnard, Co-Founder and Brand Director, Rude Health
- Jo Fairley, Co-Founder, Green & Black’s
- Lauren Williams, Director, London Grace
- Rachel Hugh, CEO & Co-Founder, The Vurger Co
- Louisa Ziane, Global Brand and Sustainability Director, Toast Ale
- Umesh Johari, Director, Business Strategy & Analytics, San Francisco 49ers
- Julia Straus, CEO, Sweaty Betty
- Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Space Scientist and Broadcaster
- Jo Whitfield, Chief Executive, Food, Co-op Food
- Martin Brok, President EMEA, Starbucks
- Paul Pomroy, CEO UK&I, McDonald’s
- Vickie Gooch, Director of HR–Sainsbury’s Food, Sainsbury’s
- Tom Summerfield, Consultant, Foot Asylum
- David Isbitski, Chief Evangelist for Alexa and Echo, Amazon
- Clare Phillips, Director of Social Purpose, ITV
- Timo Boldt, CEO and Founder, Gousto
- Rebekah Hall, Co-Founder & CEO, Botanic Lab
- Raissa de Haas, Co-Founder, Double Dutch
- Regina Borda, Managing Director, Pizza Hut Europe and Canada
- Julian Diment, Chief Growth Officer, Mrs & Mrs Smith
- Tjeerd Jegen, CEO, Hema
- Ali Hanan, Founder, Creative Equals
- Miranda Creswell, CMO, Tails.com
- Guillaume Chesneau, UK DM, Nespresso
- Tony Denunzio, Chairman, Pets At Home
- Sandrine Deveaux, Executive Vice President, Store of the Future, Farfetch
- Liz Elder, Global Director, Leadership Development & Learning, LEGO Group
- Nathalie Gaveau, Managing Director, BCG Digital Ventures
- Clare Jones, CCO, what3words
- Tariq Khan, VP, Customer Experience Products, Coty
- Kate Levine, Global Director of Activism and Communications, The Body Shop
- Pranav Saxena, VP, Product, Flipkart
- JP Then, Founder, Crosstown Doughnuts
- Sally Elliott, Spencer Stuart
- Dennis Millard, Chairman, Watches of Switzerland
- Joe Metcalfe, Founder, Thrift
Retail Week Live 25 – 26 March 2020, The Intercontinental London, O2, London
