08:00-09:15 REGISTRATION AND NETWORKING

Chairman’s Welcome Address And Opening Remarks:  

Andy Parsley, Director, Green Lion

Welcome From the  Headline sponsor

Emma Allen, Marketing Director, UK & Ireland, Torex

Keynote: Attracting Real Talent And Strengthening Your Workforce: Recruitment Strategies For An Improving Economy

• Achieving a clearer picture of how the economy has affected the retail recruitment market in order to unearth new opportunities
• Reinvigorating your recruitment strategy to prepare for the upswing in order to attract the best talent to your organisation
• Creating a high value, motivated customer-focussed workforce through improved selection initiatives
• Boosting sales through establishing best practices of recruiting high quality and professional “shop floor” employees
• Switching effectively from temporary to permanent staff with key working times

Anne McCafferty, Head of Retail HR, BestBuy Europe/The Carphone Warehouse Group  PLC

Ask The Expert Recruitment Panel Discussion And Interactive Q & A Session:

This session allows you to ask some of the UK’s leading Retail HR executives for their views on effective retail recruitment in the current economic climate.  Before opening up to questions form the audience the moderator will use some of the below key recruitment questions: 

• How should retailers tailor their recruitment strategies to the current economic climate?
• What new initiatives can retailers use to effectively recruit the best shop floor staff, middle management and head office staff?
• How should retailers approach employer branding in to stand out from the crowd?
• How can we work together to improve retail’s reputation as good career choice?
• What selection techniques can we use to ensure employees are more customer focussed?
• Should we be switching our focus from temporary to permanent recruitment?
• How can we capitalise on a more loyal and motivated workforce created by the recession?
• How can we effectively align our recruitment strategies with corporate goals?
• How can we reduce the cost of retail recruitment whilst ensuring it is still effective?
• How can we ensure an employee’s first day is engaging and delivers on your brand promise?

Panellists confirmed to date:

• Ryan Cheyne, Head of HR, Pets at Home Ltd (winner of the 2008 Employer of the Year Award at the People in Retail Awards and nominated for The Reward & Recognition Award at The 2009 Personnel Today Awards)
• Rowena Cooper, Retail Recruitment Manager, WM. Morrison Supermarkets PLC
• Lee Evans, Group Recruitment Manager, New Look Group
• Mike Convey, Website Director, RetailChoice.com

NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK

Minimising Risk Through Effective Temporary Recruitment Strategies

• Use of temporary agency labour to minimize risk when responding to market growth
• The dangers of using an “unmanaged” supply of temporary agency workers in an unregulated industry
• Managing supply of temporary agency workers to minimize business risks
• The future: Reducing risk after the upturn

Alison Harter, Sales and Marketing Director, de Poel

Engineered Workforce Management: The art and science of managing your people

• Developing an enterprise vision to optimise labour through scheduling and time and attendance best practices
• Creating the link between business changes and the effect on your customer
• Utilising technology to empower operational change within your organisation

Ben Zifkin, Partner - International Operations, Axsium Group

Case Study : DSGi - Success through Strategic Staffing

• Understanding work load coverage
• Controlling the pay to sales ratio
• Improving Customer Service
• Improving Colleague engagement

Neil Maltby, Productivity Manager, DSG International

 LUNCH & NETWORKING

Speech: Developing A Training, Learning And Development Strategy To Deliver In, And Capitalise On, The Upturn

• Evaluating the link between training, learning and development and retention in the current economy
• The link between upskilling initiatives and the potential to maximise sales
• The value of creating a structured career path that will ensure your workforce has the necessary skills to deliver your corporate goals
• Can retailers work together to develop training initiatives that benefit the industry as a whole?
• Using in-house coaching that is tailored towards 'ready for recovery'

Annette Middlebrook, Group Human Resources Director, Clinton Cards

Case Study: Boosting Employee Motivation and Commitment In Challenging Times Through Targeted, Cost Effective Employee Engagement Strategies (PROVISIONAL CONTENT)

• Enhancing sales and profitability by leveraging the drivers of engagement at business and local level
• Measuring the right things to deliver sustainable employee engagement and business improvement
• Aligning internal culture and employee experience to boost brand capital

Liz Bramley, Head of Employee Engagement & Diversity, The Co-operative Group (one of The Great Place to Work Institute’s 50 Great Places to Work 2009)

Speech: Simple Strategies For Improving Retention And Boosting Performance

• A retention framework  
• Recruiting right first time
• Creating a recognition culture
• Measuring success

Ryan Cheyne, Head of HR, Pets at Home Ltd (winner of the 2008 Employer of the Year Award at the People in Retail Awards and nominated for The Reward & Recognition Award at The 2009 Personnel Today Awards)

NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK

Speech: Using Leadership Development  To Build The Right Team, Do The Right Things, And Getting The Right Results

• Developing a culture of leadership that drives bottom line results for your organisation
• Enabling leaders to retain, motivate and get the best from their teams
• Offering cost effective leadership development which gets results at all levels

Nick Rowe, Group Head of Learning and Development, Punch Taverns

Speech: Immigration Pitfalls throughout the Employment Relationship

• Advertising the role and selection process
• Protective measures during employment – document checks and contracts
• Illegal working and Civil Penalties – being prepared for UK Border Agency audits (as well as unexpected visits)
• Minimising risk if dismissal is necessary

Annabel Mace, Head of Business Immigration, Hammonds

Speech: Employment law – what’s in store

• New legislation for 2010 and its impact
• No rest from holiday case
• Age discrimination cases start to make a mark

Matthew Lewis, Head of Employment, Leeds, Hammonds

How Should You Prepare For The Upswing? Ask The Expert Panel Discussion And Interactive Q & A Session:

This interactive panel discussion allows you to ask some of the UK’s leading retail HR executives for their views on how we should be preparing for the economic upswing to help you develop forward thinking people strategies and form conclusions from today’s summit that will result in increased market share.  

Before opening up to questions from the audience the moderator will use some of the below key questions: 

• Which new recruitment initiatives will attract the best talent as the economy improves?
• Which training and development strategies offer the most value in an upswing economy?
• How can we effectively manage, engage and retain shop floor employees?
• What new innovations in succession planning and HR structures should we be focussing on?
• How can we effectively integrate mutichannel into our HR strategies?
• Which innovative motivation and engagement techniques will offer us most value?
• Which retention techniques will really maximise loyalty as we experience economic growth?
• How should we be approaching reward strategies in the next 12 months?
• Which flexible working practices work for both employee and employer?
• How should we approach change management in the upswing?
• Which leadership strategies will offer us bottom line improvements?
• How can we work together to make a career in retail appear an attractive career choice?
• How will new technologies affect our future HR strategies?
• How can we raise the profile of HR within our organisations?

Panellists confirmed to date:

• Anne McCafferty, Head of Retail HR, BestBuy Europe/The Carphone Warehouse Group  PLC
• Naomi Hewitt, HR Director, The Net-a-Porter Group (one of Times Online’s Top 100 companies to work for 2009)

Chairman’s Final Comments And End Of Conference

17:15-18:00 NETWORKING & DRINKS