World Retail Congress unveils 2014 Award Winners

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•         H&M voted ‘International Retailer of the Year’
  •         Fast Retailing scoops overall ‘Retailer of the Year’
  •         John Lewis wins ‘Omnichannel Retailer of the Year’
  •         Net-a-Porter’s Natalie Massenet and Mark Sebba, presented with ‘Outstanding Leadership Award’

Swedish multinational fashion chain H&M was named ‘International Retailer’ of the year, at the World Retail Awards gala dinner in Paris last night.

Fast Retailing, the Japanese retail group behind brands such as UNIQLO, Comptoir des cotonniers and Princesse Tam Tam, scooped the prestigious award for ‘Retailer of the Year’.   The accolade comes shortly after its announcement of UNIQLO’s plans for major expansion of its kidswear line.  The group follows in the footsteps of prestigious past winners including Whole Foods and Inditex. 

Two of the biggest names in UK retailing also scooped awards.  John Lewis beat stiff competition to be named Omnichannel Retailer of the Year, and Sainsbury’s won the award for the best advertising campaign of the year for its ‘Christmas in a Day’. 

South Korea’s department store group Lotte Shopping won CSR Initiative of the Year, following the launch of its rewards scheme to encourage customers to buy eco-friendly products.

The World Retail Awards, now in their 8th year, celebrate inspiring retail excellence.  They were presented during the World Retail Congress, which is being attended by up to 1,500 delegates over three days this week in Paris.

Ian McGarrigle, Chairman of the World Retail Congress, commented: “We’ve had another fantastic shortlist of winners, and this year in particular they reflect how the retail landscape is changing.  The diversity of entries and countries, and the level of innovation, reinforces the huge groundswell of change in the global retail world.”

Over 500 senior figures from the global retail industry gathered at the Salle Wagram in Paris for the awards ceremony. Key attendees at the gala dinner included Paolo de Cesare, CEO of Printemps, Ray Kelvin, CEO and Founder of Ted Baker, Andy Street, Managing Director of John Lewis & Jose Gomez, Senior Group Vice President of Mango, amongst many others.

The award winners are decided by a team of 12 Global CEO's. This year’s judges included: Terry Duddy, Home Retail Group; Concetta Lanciaux, Lux Advisory; Gordon Campbell, Spar International; Rick Darling, Li & Fung US; Richard Simonin, Limoni Group. 

Sir Philip Green backs team representing London at the 2014 World Retail Congress global student competition

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Sir Philip Green, the owner of Arcadia Group, is backing the team from a London college who are competing in a worldwide student challenge at the World Retail Congress in Paris next week.

Peter Jones, Josie Reeve, Dan Swanepoel and Yasmine Alom were chosen from 700 students at the Fashion Retail Academy, which is supported by retail giants including Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Next and Sir Philip’s Arcadia.

The four will take on rival teams from New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Ancona in the Retail Futures Challenge which is now in its 6th year.

They will present their vision for a Samsung store of the future. It must meet all the demands of today’s consumers who expect to be able to shop via physical stores, online, mobile, or social media. The Samsung Life Store must also demonstrate how technology can make people’s home lives more comfortable, productive and entertaining.

They will present their blueprint to over 1,000 retail executives who will gather in the French capital for the 8th annual Congress.

The judging panel will include retail industry experts:

•         Gerald Reitmayar, head of retail Europe, Samsung
•         Robert Thiemann, founder and editor-in-chief, Frame
•         Bernie Brookes, CEO, Myer Holdings Ltd
•         Nora Fehlbaum, CEO, Vitra
•         Alexander Salzer, COO, Liganova – the BrandRetail Company

Peter Jones, 18, from Milton Keynes, said: “We’re aiming to win. We’re a strong team and determined to give it our best shot.”

Josie Reeve, 19, from Bexley, Kent who has just started working for fashion chain Oasis said: “It’s a great opportunity. We want to grab it with both hands.”

Former air stewardess Yasmine Alom, from Bedford, said: “I’ve been to Paris a few times before. It’s such a vibrant city. It’s very exciting.”

Dan Swanepoel, 23, who is originally from South Africa wants to be a store designer so said the challenge was “right up my street”.

He added: “It will be nerve-racking presenting to such a high-powered panel but it is a wonderful opportunity and we need to seize it.”

Sir Philip wished the students good luck but urged them to make sure that they had “done their homework”.

He added: “They need to make sure that they have thought of everything that would make shopping the store a great experience but it also needs to be commercial.

“These are big purchases so they need to have done their homework so that they can talk confidently about the products and educate the customer. If they win, it could be the springboard to bright futures in retail.”

Ian McGarrigle, Chairman of the World Retail Congress said: “We are very pleased that London is going to be represented again at the Retail Futures Challenge. The competition has grown to become one of the high points of the WRC and it is fantastic to see these future leaders of retailing setting out their ideas in front of an audience of retail professionals. I wish them the best of luck for the final.”

World Retail Congress Africa 2014 is back for another year in Johannesburg

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Retail Congress Africa 2014 is proud to announce it will be returning to Johannesburg and has already confirmed an exclusive line up of speakers and sessions. With the successes of last year the Congress will delve deeper into the Pan-African African retail challenges and opportunities.   

As part of the World Retail Congress Series, recognised as the meeting places of the retail calendar for senior executives and directors of the industry, Retail Congress Africa is an entirely unique event.Over 250 global retail leaders will meet in the Sandton Convention Centre on 18^th and 19^th November 2014 to discuss, debate and define the future of retail across Africa.

In response to the rapidly changing and diversifying marketplaces across the Continent, Retail Congress Africa goes to the heart of the retail opportunity: understanding the new African consumer across new channels with insights into , with an Africa market focus.

Save 15% booking through HuntRevenue. contact for details

Agenda highlights

Join Retail Congress Africa to hear how effective and prosperous businesses understand consumer trends and running their outlets in the most promising countries:

     Macroeconomic view on Sub Saharan Africa

     Regionalisation: Doing business across Africa

     Country case studies on Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, Mozambique, Kenya and Uganda

     How to plan your retail expansion based on property growth trends

Confirmed speakers 2014 include:

•   David North, ‎Group Strategy and Corporate Affairs Director, Pick n Pay
•   Ramanathan Hariharan, CEO, Landmark Group-Max                                  
•   Greg Solomon, Chief Executive, Mcdonald’s South Africa
•   Neel Shah, Business Development Manager, Nakumatt
•   Keith Brouze, CEO, House of Busby
•   Greg Azzopardi, Managing Director Real Estate, Mr Price
•   Dr. Al-noor Rawjee, Chairman, ADC
•   Thebe Ikalafeng, Founder & Chairman, The Brand Africa Initiative
•   Frans van der Colff, Head of Africa & International, Fruit & Veg City
•   Alasdair Musselwhite, Director, East African Breweries
•   Alex Mathole, Regulatory & Corporate Affairs Group Executive, Tiger Brands
•   Christine Service, Country Manager, Disney, South Africa
•   Taiwo and Kehinde Okunoren, Co-Founders and Directors, Okunoren Twins

More information can be found at www.retailcongressafrica.com

Notes to Editors:

About Retail Congress Africa

Retail Congress Africa originates from the Global leading World Retail Congress. 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), London (2012) and Paris (2013-14) and is attended by up to 1,000 industry leaders from more than 60 countries. The programme is developed in conjunction with the Congress Advisory Board which represents retailers such as Gap, Kingfisher, Macys, Reliance Lifestyle, Myer, Alshaya, Netto, Inditex and Tesco. 2013 was the launch of World Retail Congress Africa which focused solely on doing business across Africa.

World Retail Congress Latin America Save 15% today with HuntRevenue

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World Retail Congress Latin America 

Venue: WTC Sheraton 

Date: 12-13 November 2014
Location: São Paulo, South Africa

Visit the World Retail Congress Latin America website (Click Here) 

The World Retail Congress Latin American is totally unique: a dedicated C-Level strategic retail Congress specifically created for Latin American markets. As part of the World Retail Congress global series, the Latin America Congress will define best practice in retail, delivering an industry driven agenda and strategic business insights. Given the rising prosperity and economic growth of this retail market, there is much interest in the dynamics of the Latin American market, in examining the emerging industry trends, challenges, growth opportunities and best practice.

As Media Partners with World Retail Congress Africa we are pleased to be able offer you a 15% discount for this exciting event (Click here)
using the promo code EINST15

There will be over 50 leading international and regional retailers, global brands and industry commentators taking to the stage for the first time to discuss the challenges at the heart of retail boardrooms, share best practice and provide tangible case studies for you to adapt for your business needs. Providing global retail intelligence, the tailored Congress agenda will focus on core markets Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico – with the overall objective of supporting retailers to keep up with the pace of change and seize the opportunities on the horizon. Also incorporated is hours of dedicated networking in the central exhibition and networking hub, allowing you to set up face-to-face meetings and establish lasting business partnerships with Latin America’s retail elite. The Congress is the regions only pan-Latin America Congress. It is an integral date in the retail calendar to give your business the competitive advantage in this exciting and profitable region.

If you need any assistance just give HuntRevenue a call This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Win a Marketing campaign worth £1000 to celebrate two years of Infinity

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Category: Happenings

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Just register on our 'contact' page or as an Infinity subscriber to give your business the opportunity of winning one of two £1000 corporate marketing campaigns we are giving away each month until 2015 to celebrate Infinity's’ first two years.

Regester here

Winners will be announced through ‘Happenings’ on the HuntRevenue website and on Social Media.

Infinity Magazine Celebrating Two Years with Exclusive Advertiser Offer

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Category: Happenings

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Need to reach and influence online eCommerce decision makers? YES! Then you should be using ‘Infinity’ magazine, our unique, fully interactive, digital publication reaches eCommerce and online retail decision makers and influencers. ‘CLICK HERE’ to read the latest edition. You can also watch our short YouTube presentation ‘CLICK HERE’

Infinity is unique in the eCommerce publishing industry as we offer a profiled supporting direct mail and social media programmes within the advertising and sponsorship packages to reinforce marketing and sales activities. Additionally, we can provide an ‘on request’ Webinar programme enabling you to directly address and influence your target audience. 

Articles and advertisements include links to web sites and emails, to enable your readers to learn more, and reach out to advertisers, sponsors and contributors simply and easily. 

Internet Retailing Expo continues to expand and provide UK and European multichannel retailers their single best opportunity to gain knowledge

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Voted the "Best UK B2B Trade Show larger than 2000 sqms 2014" by the AEO - Internet Retailing Expo continues to expand and provide UK and European multichannel retailers their single best opportunity to gain knowledge from;

• 8 conferences - offering a total of 1000 seats per day
• 16 workshops
• 12 web clinics
• 250 + exhibitors
• Show floor "features" like the new "Digital Store & High Street"

Backed by Europe's leading print and digital media title - InternetRetailing magazine and www.internetretailing.net, all the leading multichannel trade bodies plus the largest social media following in the industry, IRX presents the supplier community with its single best opportunity to meet new customers.

With a new, co-located, dedicated show for the fast-growing ecommerce and multichannel logistics sector, eDelivery Expo (EDX), March 25-26, 2015 will once again set the standard for face-to-face B2B trade events.

eDelivery Expo will also be supported by a brand new print magazine and digital channel "eDelivery" - email us for a media pack.

To request an exhibitors pack, or a call back, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Tom Copeland on +44 [0] 207 933 8999.

Retail Congress Africa innovation award

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Retail Congress Africa is proud to present the prestigious Award for Innovation to the Okunoren Twins.  This award is intended to celebrate retailers who are driving change and growth with inspirational vision and foresight.

Quite simply - with sleek designs and fine tailoring, the Nigerian clothing icons have introduced their bespoke tailoring to the African market and inspired a new spring of menswear designers across the country.

Building on their beginnings of selling designer shirts to fellow students at University, the Okunoren Twins have since gone on to launch their distinguished label Okunoren Twins Bespoke and establish Industrial Tailoring & Co. to manufacture garments for the mass market.  The company opened its first bricks and mortar store in 2013 to cater to the growing middle class in the country through a ready-to-wear line, producing 3 ready-to-wear collections a year. The ambitious brand is also set to open 10 stores across Africa over the next 18 months.

The Okunoren Twins label carries the ‘CONCEIVED IN AFRICA’ trademark to highlight its position as a global African brand.  The brand was recently awarded the first-ever Royal Warrant in Africa by His Imperial Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade who is the custodian of the Yoruba culture and tradition.

Taiwo Okunoren, Creative Director and co-Founder and Kehinde Okunoren, Managing Director and co-Founder, will be at Retail Congress Africa, 18-19 November, Johannesburg to collect their award and share insights into their successes.  With a passion for fashion, entrepreneurial spirit and acute understanding of the trends of the new African consumer there seems no limit to the Okunoren Twins’ successes. 

More information can be found at www.retailcongressafrica.com