Insights from World Retail Congress

One of the presenters, Jacques-Antoine Granjon, founder and CEO of vente-privee.com, told the World Retail Congress delegates that the first wave of the internet is at an end. The gist of his knowledge included e-commerce as simply being a new distribution channel. He put the success of his own online business down to understanding the fundamentals of the business. He also said that customer service is crucial and warned, "You need to answer your customer, not with a stupid mail that you send to everyone but with a voice that makes them know you are behind the screen and taking care of them."

Carrefour chairman and CEO George Plassat presented the keynote address 'The Hypermarket is not Dead' on the opening day. He insisted that 'clicks and mortar are the future' - alluding to the dynamics between online shopping and physical stores.

"The key is to make these stores interesting, efficient and serving the needs of all our customers." He was also at pains to stress that the 'one size fits all' approach does not work, as firms expand globally and warned that companies should not underestimate the power of domestic rivals.

He highlighted two trends in emerging markets that would create a US $18 trillion opportunity - urbanisation and the rise of the middle class. "Over the next 15 years, consumers in emerging markets will migrate from the periphery of the global economy to its centre. By 2025, consumption in emerging markets will have more than doubled from 2010, jumping from US $12 trillion to US $30 trillion.

World Retail Awards

In its 7th year, the awards are designed to recognise global excellence across the key areas of retailing, such as advertising, corporate responsibility, online, international, leadership and innovation with the top award being the Retailer of the Year. The winners are selected by a Grand Jury made up of leading retailer CEOs from around the world.

French luxury group LVMH won 'International Retailer of the Year' award while Whole Foods, the US organic food company, scooped the prestigious award for 'Retailer of the Year', following in the footsteps of leading retailers Tesco and Inditex.

There were a few highlights for South Africa, with Woolworths being awarded a finalist place in the CSR Initiative of the Year for its 'My School My Village My Planet' loyalty card and Mr Price Group was identified as one of the 'Emerging Market Retailers of the Year'.