Singapore, 18 October 2018 – The Asia Retail Leaders Conference (ARLC) 2018 will be held from 18 to 19 October at Conrad Centennial Singapore.  Organised by Singapore Management University (SMU) Retail Centre of Excellence (RCoE), the Conference serves as a platform that engages retail leaders, industry experts, knowledge partners and senior managers from around the region. Themed ‘Leadership in Retail: Navigating Turbulent Waters’, the Conference will be graced by Guest-of-Honour Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Ministry of Education.

RCoE is also pleased to announce the inclusion of DBS Bank as the Centre’s newest member. Going forward, DBS Bank and SMU RCoE will address challenges, unlock opportunities for growth and identify key value drivers for retailers to remain competitive in the face of disruption. Together with all its Founding Members – comprising DFS, Decathlon, Harvey Norman, IKEA, Microsoft, Popular, Tiffany & Co, and Visa – RCoE looks towards supporting and grooming retail leaders, students and entrepreneurs to shape the retail industry and engage with consumers in more meaningful ways.

In recognition of their strong support to RCoE since its establishment in October 2017 as a joint initiative between SMU, the Economic Development Board and Enterprise Singapore, Mr Chee Hong Tat will be presenting the Founding Members with acknowledgement awards.

SMU Professor of Marketing, Kapil R. Tuli, who also heads RCoE as its Director, said, “In a fast-changing retail environment, companies and retailers face a confluence of rapidly evolving technologies, changing consumer preferences and economic uncertainty. In celebration of our Centre’s one year anniversary, we are pleased to organise this inaugural leadership conference to share ideas and strategies which will not only help retailers to ride on the digital wave, but also encourage them to explore new and innovative practises in the industry.”

[Photo: SMU Prof Kapil Tuli, Director of RCoE, speaking at the opening segment of the Conference.]

In convening this Conference, RCoE aims to encourage and facilitate open dialogue by inspiring retailers to rethink their portfolios and to explore new omni-channel retail concepts that connect front-end brick-and-mortar with back-end distribution, while embracing technology. The seminar hopes to future-proof retailers and equip them with the knowledge they require in order to stay competitive in an ever-evolving landscape that is characterised by the rise of a digital economy.

The digital economy has transformed the retail landscape and pushed retailers to rethink the fundamentals of how a business can create, capture and deliver value for the modern day consumer. The discussions and workshops at ARLC will allow participants to gain deeper insights into retail-centric research; and enable retailers to pioneer more innovative concepts, and capture new opportunities to drive transformation. ARLC will cover various sub-themes relevant to the retail sector and will feature renowned experts from across the globe, thus providing retailers with an exceptional opportunity to network and share experiences.

The two-day conference also comprises sharing sessions by several distinguished SMU faculty members who will be presenting their retail research and case studies. Topics include: Perspectives on Innovation and Intellectual Property in the Retail Industry, The Spectacular Rise and Impact of the Hard Discounters, Delivering Amazing Consumer Experience with Unified Commerce, Expanding Horizons in Retailing, Nurturing Future Retail Leaders, Business Model Innovation and Entrepreneurial Perspectives, Omni-Channel Retailing, Transforming for the Era of Intelligent Retail and an in-depth Design Thinking Workshop.

In conjunction with the Conference, RCoE will share the details of its new Scholarship for Women Entrepreneurs in Retailing. The scholarship has been awarded earlier in September to two inaugural recipients – Ms Kate Low, Owner of Perk by Kate and Ms Tan Wah Ling, Creative Director of the LOOMS Workshop, for their unique and innovative businesses.  The award recipients had the exceptional opportunity of joining 13 other participants on the Asia Retail Leader Programme (ARLP), the full cost of which is covered by the Scholarship (valued at $12,000 each).  ARLP is a four-day immersive and experiential programme targeted at senior-level executives in the retail sector, comprising two days at SMU (6 to 7 September) and two days at Korea’s Yonsei University in Seoul (4 to 5 October).  The ARLP provides an opportunity for in-depth learning not only from accomplished faculty, but also through site visits and interactions with managers who are engaged in delivering value to their target customers in an innovative manner. As part of their Seoul visit, participants interacted with senior managers from firms such as The Hyundai and Amore Pacific, and visited the flagship stores of Gentle Monster and the experimental store operated by 7-11 at the Lotte Tower.

Encouraging women entrepreneurs is critical given the lack of progress in closing the gender gap in the economic sector. According to estimates by the World Economic Forum, it will take almost 170 years to close the gender gap in the economic sphere1 and there are significant challenges women entrepreneurs face in starting a business, such as, socio-economic norms and unpaid care work. Importantly, the participation of women in entrepreneurial ventures in Singapore has been declining and currently women owners are at 27%, far lower than countries such as Ghana, Russia, and Uganda2. This initiative therefore seeks to give women entrepreneurs in the retailing sector an opportunity to benefit from an immersive and interactive programme and to interact closely with not only senior faculty members from SMU and Yonsei University, but also with practitioners from different companies.

More information on the event and programme is available here - www.arlc2018.sg.

- End -