Alison ClementsIn-store transformation is high on the agenda for many retailers, as the realignment to multi-channel retailing continues to dictate strategy across the industry. What are the challenges, and how are forward-looking retailers managing change, and driving their businesses towards sustained success in the new landscape?
The two-day Future Stores conference (16-17 May) plugs directly into these questions. Taking place at the Hilton London Tower Bridge in central London, the event aims to provide a platform to learn from Europe’s most progressive retailers – many of whom have best practice learnings and ideas around innovation to share.
What’s on the agenda at Future Stores?
Big themes to be tackled at Future Stores include ‘creating experiential retail’, ‘designing human-centric stores’, ‘providing convenience to boost engagement’ and ‘transforming the in-store customer experience’.
Attendees will hear from a wide range of retailers, design experts, futurists, analysts and retail property specialists. Top retail names to look out for include Guy Smith, Head of Design at Arcadia, David Botines; Senior Manager, Future Planning – Store Development at John Lewis; and Natasha Toothill, Head of Enterprise at Amazon. Their focus is the transformation process – how to handle it, how to change for the better within realistic cost restraints, and how to ensure culture across an organisation survives the upheaval.
Giovanni Flore, Digital Signage Project Manager, Benetton Group says: “This is a highly valuable event for those leading or implementing their brand’s instore strategy”. Meanwhile, Simon Torring Head of Innovation & Omnichannel, Sephora considers the event to be: “A unique opportunity to hear concrete in-store innovation case studies from the most progressive brands.”
Be inspired by in-store innovators
In what promises to be a fascinating presentation, Simon Torring, Head of Innovation & Omni-Channel at Sephora covers: ‘From concept to pilot in 41 days: How to successfully test and scale customer-centric innovations in retail’. Simon will be joining from Singapore to share how Sephora has cracked the method for working in a truly agile way across the business. He’ll also reveal how the company recently successfully introduced augmented reality in-store to simplify product selection.
Don’t miss Simone Sweeney, VP, Global Retail Development who will deliver an Innovation Keynote: entitled: ‘How to transform your customer experience with new store concepts that turn your shop floor into the ultimate retail destination’.
Simone is the driving force behind the development and implementation of global retail programmes for both LEGO’s physical and e-commerce channels. She’s leading the global expansion of LEGO retail stores and ensuring “awesome shopping experiences” wherever LEGO is sold, through in-store innovation and “hands-on play”.
Opportunities to learn
Throughout the event there are some excellent case studies and thought-provoking workshops that will give powerful insights into the practical and strategic elements of store transformation. If you’re involved in the process of updating and realigning your bricks and mortar offering, Future Stores is for you.
Find the full agenda and details on over 50 thought-leading speakers at Future Stores here.
