Programme

Please note that the order of sessions is provisional. The Retail Bulletin reserves the right to change this programme’s content at any time.

Click here for Day 1
Click here for Day 2

Day One - 3rd February 2009

8.15	REGISTRATION AND NETWORKING
General Keynotes	Opening Keynote: How To Survive In Retail In An Economic Slump Why companies fail Understanding the trends and evolving customer demands in the new environment Importance of resource allocation. Do you know where you make money, by product, customer group and distribution channel? Focus on only the best opportunities. Eliminate marginal activities Manage costs through strategy, not through brute force Protecting reputation and brand. Looking after the basics. What is the long-term sustainable solution to the question of pricing? Building a sustainable competitive advantage for the upturn, when it comes Sir Brian Pitman, Former Chairman, Lloyds TSB Group and currently a director of Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways and The Carphone Warehouse Group Plc as well as Senior Advisor to Morgan Stanley and Governor of Ashridge Management College
Economy	Speech: Focusing Your Retail Strategies Through A Clearer Understanding Of Current UK Economic Trends And Future Predictions Review of Christmas and New Year trading Assessing the outlook for 2009 Richard Lowe, Corporate Director, Retail and Wholesale Sector, Barclays Commercial Bank
Customer Experience	Keynote: 'Maximising Loyalty Through Delivering Excellent Customer Experiences' Understanding what your customers expect in order to build ‘expectation exceeding’ strategies Establishing best practices of delivering an engaging customer experience that maximises loyalty Avoiding costly mistakes through understanding the key pitfalls retailers make in customer service Building an integrated multichannel approach to loyalty that maximises market share and helps you stand out from the crowd Evaluating how to engage your staff by putting world class customer experience at the heart of your company’s culture Gillian Berkmen, Group Brand & Commercial Director- Mothercare plc, Mothercare plc
	NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK
Multichannel	Speech: Maximising Market Share And Loyalty Through A Cost Effective, Integrated Multi-Channel Retail Strategy Evaluating where multi-channel is headed so you can focus on a longer term multi-channel business? Building an integrated multi-channel strategy that minimises disruption, maximises profit and builds brand loyalty Ensuring your staff are focussed on a customer focussed multi-channel experience through putting multi-channel at the heart of your company culture Assessing how to avoid ‘channel cannibalisation’ though getting the right balance between channels Avoiding costly mistakes through understanding the key multichannel pitfalls made by traditional retailers Jonathon Brown, Director of Multi Channel, B & Q plc
Multichannel	Multichannel Retail in 2011: Ask The Experts Panel Discussion And Interactive Audience Q & A Session: This interactive panel discussion allows you to ask some of the UK’s leading multi-channel retailers for their views on where multi-channel is headed in the next two years to allow you to develop forward thinking multi-channel strategies Before opening up to question from the audience, the moderator will ask some of the following kick off questions: What are consumers’ expectations regarding mutichannel service levels and delivery and how will this change? Should you keep prices the same over your various channels? Will traditional retailers who don’t adopt different channels still exist in the future? What loyalty strategies will prevail in the short term for the mutichannel retailer? Which new technologies offer retailers the most opportunity in the next 2 years? How can you keep a single view of the multichannel customer? How can you best integrate a mutichannel philosophy into the culture of your company? How can we maximise convenience for the consumer in the future? How can we best develop our employees’ skills to cater for a mutichannel world? How can we best minimise the cost of mutichannel expansion? How can we best integrate all of our channels to offer a world class seamless mutichannel experience? How will mulitchannel retail evolve in 5-10 years? What are the key pitfalls traditional retailer make when moving to multichannel? Panellists confirmed to date: Brian Farrelly, Director of Broadcasting, QVC Jonathon Brown, Director of Multi Channel, B & Q Adri Kraa, Head of Shop Online, IKEA David Oliver, Head of Marketing Programmes, Hertz Europe
	LUNCH & NETWORKING
Multichannel	Thinking outside the shop - delivering a joined up Customer Experience With online sales up 13.3% since last year and online shopping forecasted to account for half of all shopping in the next five years; achieving a genuinely integrated multi-channel service is becoming increasingly important for retailers. K3 will be talking about the challenges of delivering joined up shopping experiences for their customers whether they choose to buy online, direct or in-store. Gary Copping, Fashion Sector Manager, K3
Finance/ Growth	Speech: Maximising Value Through Understanding Your Key Growth Options and Planning for Success Knowing that it’s time for expansion beyond the parameters of ordinary “organic” growth Evaluating options for new growth opportunities Accessing the means to expand via acquisitions, partnerships and building a case for investment; Transforming visions and plans into reality … successfully Meg Lustman, Chief Strategy Officer, Mosaic Fashions
Private Equity/ Growth	Speech: Understanding Private Equity And Evaluating Whether It Is A Viable Option For Growing Your Business Assessing how the private equity companies are viewing the retail industry in the next 2 years in light of current economic forecasts Evaluating whether private equity is a suitable option for your business in order to tailor your growth strategies accordingly Understanding how you can make your company look attractive to an investor in order to maximise your growth potential Ged Keogh-Peters, Head of UK Strategy Team, Kurt Salmon Associates
	NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK
Branding/HR	Keynote Speech: Back To The Future: From The 1950s To The 2010s - Tracing The Evolution Of The Great British Brand Patterns and cycles in retail throughout six decades Winners and losers- who survived and how? What can retailers of today learn from the past to enhance their future? Sharing in the vision-building brand ethos to enhance recruitment and unify your team 2010 and beyond – staying ahead of the customer and leading the way Judith Levy, Executive Chairman, The High and Mighty Group
HR	Retail HR In 2011: Ask The Experts Panel Discussion And Interactive Audience Q & A Session: This interactive panel discussion allows you to ask some of the UK’s leading retail HR executives for their views on where retail HR is headed in the next two years to allow you to develop forward thinking people strategies Before opening up to question from the audience, the moderator will ask some of the following kick off questions: How can retailers promote retail as a long term worthwhile career? What key methods should retailers use to cost effectively attract the leaders of tomorrow? How can you best build a differentiated employer brand that attracts and retains talented employees? Which reward strategies actually maximise engagement and motivation at different levels of a retail business? Which key initiatives maximise retention in a challenging economy? Which employee engagement strategies actually ensure staff remain with your company? Which succession planning strategies will help deliver on your corporate goals? How should a mutichannel retailer approach learning and development? Panellists confirmed to date: Dave Vallance, Director of HR Operations, Boots UK Claire Balmforth, Group HR Director, Carpetright Plc Andy Moat, Director of Organisation Development, B & Q plc Sonia Sharples, Head of Human Resources, Poundland Ltd
5.15	Chairman’s summary and end of Day 1

Day Two - 4th February 2009

8.15	REGISTRATION AND NETWORKING
Differentiation/Marketing	Keynote: Standing Out From The Crowd: Differentiated Marketing Strategies For A Challenging Economy Understanding which factors influence your customers purchasing habits in a challenging economy in order to build tailored marketing strategies Establishing key practices of competitor analysis that remain cost effective and identify room for differentiation Building a marketing strategy that will make you stand out from the crowd and maximise profit potential Assessing the risk factor of differentiated marketing in order to ensure you’re on track Avoiding costly mistakes through understanding the key pitfalls made by retailers when attempting differentiation Dr Patrick Allen, Executive Director of Marketing, Co-operative Group
Trends	Speech: Focusing your retail strategies through a clear understanding of the latest UK retail trends Find out: Which areas of retail show the most promise for growth and which show the least? What proportion of UK retail sales are being made through non traditional channels? What really differentiates stores and what doesn’t? How are UK retailers reacting to current economic conditions Opportunities to make your infrastructure, labour force and inventory work harder for you How are rising prices affecting retailers’ bottom lines? Helen Mountney, UK Managing Partner, Kurt Salmon Associates
CSR	How A Responsible Approach To Retailing Can Help You Stay Ahead Why Tesco's climate change programme remains a top priority How it is helping customers manage the economic downturn without having to compromise their values The importance of supporting local communities Katherine Symonds, Sustainability Manager, Tesco
	NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK
CSR	Interactive Panel Discussion And Q & A Session: Supply Chain, Workplace, Environment, Community? Where Should You Focus Your Efforts To Make A Real Difference To Society And Your Bottom Line? This interactive panel discussion allows you to ask a variety of different retailers for their opinions on which areas of CSR they have chosen to focus on and why? Before opening up to question from the audience, the moderator will ask some of the following kick off questions: Which area(s) of CSR do consumers care most about? Which area(s) of CSR will impact most favourably on your profits and brand value? How can retailers use CSR as an effective differentiator? Is it better to focus on one area or a variety of areas? How do the responsibilities of smaller retailers compare to those of larger retailers? How can you measure the impact of your CSR initiatives? How can you best achieve the right balance of efforts within your CSR strategies? How can you effectively communicate your CSR credentials to your customers? Which area(s) of CSR will prove most important in the next 3 years? Panellists confirmed to date: Dr Paul Pritchard, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Royal and SunAlliance Gillian Lipton, Corporate Responsibility Manager, Monsoon Accessorize Hilary Jones, Ethics Director, Lush Katherine Symonds, Sustainability Manager, Tesco
	LUNCH & NETWORKING
Differentiation	Keynote Speech: Differentiating Your Offer And Engaging The People Making a real difference to your customer’s life Emotionally engaging your colleagues Measuring and rewarding what matters Richard Smith, Managing Director, Lloyds Pharmacy
	Online Retail in 2011: Ask The Experts Panel Discussion And Interactive Audience Q & A Session: This interactive panel discussion allows you to ask some of the UK’s leading online retailers for their views on where ecommerce is headed in the next two years to allow you to develop online strategies that maximise loyalty Before opening up to question from the audience, the moderator will ask some of the following kick off questions: What proportion of the UK retail sales will be taken up by online in the next 2 years? What will online customers expect from retailers in 2011? How will online pricing structures differ from those of other channels in the near future? How can traditional retailers make their staff think with an online focus? What online loyalty techniques will prevail in 2011? How can we use user generated content to our best advantage? How can we make online retail a world class customer experience? In which areas can we reduce the cost of ecommerce? How can we embrace online customer interactivity to maximise our profits? Which search engine optimisation and web analytics techniques will prevail in the next 2 years? Which key techniques will convert online surfers into online buyers in the near future? Which new pitfalls should new online retailers watch out for? Which new email marketing techniques will prevail in the short term? Which international cultural barriers should new online retailers watch out for? Which personalisation techniques will drive customer loyalty in the future? Panellists confirmed to date: Colin Temple, Managing Director, Schuh Francesca Ecsery , General Manager, Cheapflights.co.uk Xavier Vallee, Head of Direct Marketing EMEA, Avis Europe plc Gary Hockey-Morley, Marketing Director, Post Office Ltd Henry Elliss, Head of Social Media, Tamar
Productivity – Getting the most out of your staff	Case study : Optimising customer service by effective staff scheduling. Cost management and efficient execution have never been more important in retailing. The challenge remains to place the right staff at the right location at the right time. In an era when cost control measures are paramount to reduce overtime and over staffing, retailers can simultaneously train staff to deliver better customer service, higher conversion rates, market basket size and ultimately customer satisfaction Provide superior quality customer service with fewer staff. Manage your manpower budget effectively Enhance time and attendance Charlotte Kula-Przezwanski, Enterprise Product Manager, Torex
	NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK
Future Strategy	Winning strategies for UK Retail in 2011. Interactive Keynote Panel Discussion and Q & A Session This interactive panel discussion allows you to ask some of the UK’s leading retail executives for their views on which strategies will maintain market share in the next two years to allow you to formulate your conclusions from this year’s summit. Before opening up to question from the audience, the moderator will ask some of the following kick off questions: How can retailers best maintain market share in a challenging economy? What are the key challenges that lie ahead of retailers? Who will be the winners and losers of retail in the next 2 years and what qualities will the winners need? Which growth opportunities offer the most potential? Which loyalty strategies will prevail in the next 2 years? Which CSR strategies will make the most positive impact in the short term? How can retailers best ensure they retain their key talent in the near future? How can retailers make themselves look as attractive as possible to investors in the next 2 years? How will retailers best differentiate themselves in 2011? Which new technologies will offer the retailer the best opportunities in the next 2 years? How can we engage the ipod generation in 2011? Panellists confirmed to date: Catriona Marshall, Commercial Director, Pets at Home Judith Levy, Executive Chairman, The High and Mighty Group Helen Mountney, UK Managing Partner, Kurt Salmon Associates Richard Smith, Managing Director, Lloyds Pharmacy
4.15	Chairman’s summary and closing remarks