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DEVELOPING RETAIL IN INDIA VOL. 9 NO. 1 `100 DECEMBER 2015 - JANUARY 2016 CASHING IN ON COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES SPECIALITY MALLS COME OF AGE IN INDIA Report on South India Retail Summit 2015 Global shopping centre design trends Indian malls celebrate festive season with fervour

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Page 1: CASHING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES SPECIALITY …...DECEMBER 2015 - JANUARY 2016 DEVELOPING RETAIL IN INDIA VOL. 9 NO. 1 `100 CASHING IN ON COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES SPECIALITY MALLS COME

DEVELOPING RETAIL IN INDIA VOL. 9 NO. 1 `100DECEMBER 2015 - JANUARY 2016

CASHING IN ON COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

SPECIALITY MALLSCOME OF AGE IN INDIA

Report on South India Retail Summit 2015

Global shopping centre design trends Indian malls celebrate festive season with fervour

01_Cover.indd 1 12/17/2015 8:14:03 PM

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6 | Shopping Centre News | DECEMBER 2015-JANUARY 2016

EDITOR’S NOTE DECEMBER 2015�JANUARY 2016 | PAGES: 68 | VOL.9 NO.1

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issue editor in charge .................................................shubhra saini (asst. editor)correspondents ..........................................................roshna chandran shipra srivastavaconference content ....................................................nakul jain mohua roy

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We at Images are proud of contribu� ng as a catalyst for retailers, shopping centre developers and retail support companies in the country.

We do this by crea� ng pla� orms of sharing, learning and gaining from each others experiences and insights. And we have just wrapped up the fi rst edi� on of South India Retail Summit. South India Retail Summit (SIRS) held on December 10, 2015 at ITC Gardenia, Bangalore. SIRS, which is fi rst-of-its-kind regional retail event in the South India region presented by India Retail Forum (IRF), to empower the region with retail knowledge, explore bigger and be� er future opportuni� es, align with the na� onal vision and provide a pla� orm for all stakeholders in the South Indian Retail to learn, share and evolve with the masters in the business. This one-day forum, where the who’s who of the retail industry came together was an important regional knowledge pla� orm for discussions on key issues facing the retail fraternity and exchanging best prac� ces within the industry. This issue carries a detailed feature on SIRS 2015.

Also in this issue we have tried to delve deeper on the aspect of specialty/niche malls.

With the objec� ve of diff eren� a� ng themselves from the intense compe� � on, mall developers are se� ng up malls that off er products and services catering to specifi c needs. The smartest retailers and shopping malls have recognized the value of experien� al retailing: pu� ng the shopper in an immersive environment and off ering op� ons that meet their lifestyle demand. In the cover feature of this issue, we have tried to delve deeper on the subject of the evolu� on and poten� al of specialty and uber niche malls in India. Malls, which understands the design sense, ethnography, technology and rela� onship building and have created a collabora� ve organisa� on. such malls have become niche and have segmented themselves accordingly. In this issue we have taken the perspec� ve and views of industry experts on what they have to say on this emerging new category of malls, have these malls really came of age or they are s� ll struggling to fi nd their foothold in the retail landscape of the country.

With this, we hope that you will fi nd this issue of Shopping Centre News both useful and educa� ve.

On this note, I wish all my dear friends of retail fraternity a very happy and prosperous new year ahead.

Editorial.indd 6 12/18/2015 5:13:38 PM

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8 | Shopping Centre News | DECEMBER 2015-JANUARY 2016

CONTENTS DECEMBER 2015�JANUARY 2016

EDITORIAL 6

ROUNDUP INTERNATIONAL 10Global brands are eying the crucial share of the property pie.

ROUNDUP NATIONAL 16Mall operators going all out to woo consumers to combat online onslaught.

STORE OPENING 22A list of recently opened retail outlets.

EVENT REPORT� SIRS 2015 28The fi rst-ever South India Retail Summit was held on December 10 at the ITC Gardenia in Bengaluru.

EXPERT SPEAK 34 Shopping centre development and redevelopment worldwide has entered an age of specialisa� on.

VIEWPOINT 46Like many sectors of commerce in India, the poten� al for India’s retail growth is huge.

PERSPECTIVE 48Depending on factors like its niche quo� ent, a high street can be categorised as a des� na� on or transit-oriented one.

DESIGN 50A shopping centre’s fl oor needs to work with the site’s overarching design to create an engaging retail experience.

ON THE BLOCK 52Kolkata gets its largest mixed-use centre ‘Acropolis Mall’.

INTERVIEW 54In an exclusive conversa� on Vivek Sharma, Execu� ve Vice President & Head – Retail & Commercial, Nitesh HUB Pune, throws light on key highlights of the property.

PROFILE 56 Xperia, is going to be preferred des� na� on for F&B, entertainment and fashion for residents of Palava.

EVENT � MRF 58‘Connect, Share, Evolve’. That was the theme of the fourth edi� on of the annual Middle East Retail Forum (MRF) this year, which took place on October 27-28 at the Conrad Hotel in Dubai.

SNAPSHOT 64Innova� ve theme based decor and colourful representa� on of the fes� val of lights, won many accolades for shopping centre developers this Diwali.

40 COVER STORY

Moving from being just shopping destinations to community centres with a very good dose of entertainment, leisure and food; malls in India have literally come a long way. It is interesting to unearth the prospects of speciality / niche malls in India.

CASHING IN ON COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

SPECIALITY MALLSCOME OF AGE IN INDIA

Contents.indd 8 12/18/2015 5:11:46 PM

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EVENT REPORT - SIRS

28 | Shopping Centre News | DECEMBER 2015-JANUARY 2016

The fi rst-ever South India Retail Summit was held on December 10 at the ITC Gardenia in Bengaluru. Comprising a day-long conference and exhibition, the event’s mission was to focus on ‘Building successful retail models and growing the retail ecosystem in a technology and digitally-enhanced retail atmosphere to delight new age consumers’.

UNDERSTANDING THE NEW PATH TO PURCHASE � HOW THE SHOPPING BEHAVIOURS ARE CHANGINGThe inaugural edi� on of the South India Retail Summit (SIRS), presented by India Retail Forum (IRF), kick started with an opening presenta� on by Rashmi Nair, Associate Director, Deals Strategy PwC, off ering detailed and in-depth insights on consumer behaviour in south India.

Speaking to an audience comprising CEOs, business, marke� ng and opera� onal heads of retail and retail support businesses from across India, Nair’s presenta� on revealed that most South Indian consumers s� ll con� nue to be highly price conscious. Referring to consumers across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Nair however pointed out despite the generalised leaning toward price consciousness, there are also many consumers willing to spend a premium on certain products. “Brands are a way for consumers to tap into an aspira� onal lifestyle. They value variety,” she noted.

According to Nair, there has been a signifi cant rise in off takes of jewellery, savouries (especially biscuits), ethnicwear, beauty and wellness products in south India.

Supported By

Fashioning the Future of Retail

Online Payments Partner

Charity of Choice Organised By

Offi cial Media Partners Online Media Partner

Session Partner

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SOUTH INDIA RETAIL SUMMIT 2015

BY ROSHNA CHANDRAN

South India Retail Summit.indd 28 12/17/2015 8:47:44 PM South India Retail Summit.indd 29 12/17/2015 8:48:02 PM

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DECEMBER 2015-JANUARY 2016 Shopping Centre News | 29

CUSTOMERS DESERVE ANYTIME�ANYWHERE SHOPPING EXPERIENCESLater in the day, during the inaugural and keynote addresses (on ‘Growth and Opportuni� es in Retail’ and ‘The Role of Omnichannel in Growing the Retail Ecosystem’), session chair BS Nagesh, Founder of TRRAIN, held an exci� ng discussion on growth oppotuni� es in retail and the role of omni-channel models.

Joining the panel for the discussion were Alok Dubey, CEO, Arvind Lifestyle Brands; Falguni Nayar, Founder and CEO, Nykaa.com; Lavanya Nalli, President, Nalli Group; Viney Singh, MD, Max Hypermarket (Spar); and Neeraj Biyani, Director and Co-Founder, Paper Boat.

The group presented gave a general overview of the retail industry and how it has transformed over the past few years. All noted that technology has been the most powerful infl uencer of this dynamic market, with mobile apps, data research and analy� cs being some of main features of retail strategy and consumer behaviour. Referring to modern shopping behaviour, Lavanya Nalli, President, Nalli Group asserted, “The young consumer is not like anything we have seen before. They display sheer drive and op� mism.”

Elabora� ng on the adop� on of omni-channel models, Viney Singh, MD, Max Hypermarket (Spar) emphasised, “Customers need the op� on of shopping anywhere, any� me.”

He noted that omni-channel retailing provides a pla� orm that can be further calibrated into new models. “The changing landscape has not changed principles of the retail business, but there has been a change in distribu� on channels,’ he said.

SCALABILITY BUILT ON MARKET INSIGHT DRIVES INTELLIGENT GROWTHThe next session of South India Retail Summit focussed on defi ning appropriate and market-specifi c growth strategies. The illustrated panel discussed the challenges and factors that enable retailers to scale up into diff erent markets. Modera� ng the discussion, Kaushik Sriram,

RASHMI NAIR, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, DEALS STRATEGY PWC

L � R� NEERAJ BIYANI, DIRECTOR AND CO�FOUNDER, PAPER BOAT, ALOK DUBEY, CEO, LIFESTYLE BRANDS, ARVIND LIFESTYLE BRANDS, VINEY SINGH, MD, MAX HYPERMARKET SPAR�, FALGUNI NAYAR, FOUNDER AND CEO, NYKAA.COM. LAVANYA NALLI, PRESIDENT, NALLI GROUP, B.S NAGESH, FOUNDER, TRRAIN

L � R� MANOHAR CHATLANI, CHAIRMAN, MD RETAIL SOCH�, RAHUL BHALCHANDRA, CEO & FOUNDER, YLG SALON AND SPA, CK KUMARAVEL, CEO AND CO�FOUNDER, NATURALS SALON AND SPA, KETAN PISHE, DIRECTOR AND PARTNER, PN RAO, KIRAN V RANGA, MANAGAING DIRECTOR, RIPPLE FRAGRANCES PVT LTD.

Consultant, AT Kearney was joined by Manohar D Chatlani, Chairman, MD Retail (Soch); Rahul Bhalchandra, CEO and Founder, YLG Salon and Spa; CK Kumaravel, CEO and Co-Founder, Naturals Salon and Spa and Ketan Pishe, Director and Partner, PN Rao on the panel.

Referencing the hub-and-spoke model, Ketan Pishe, a third genera� on retailer at PN Rao elaborated on the company’s strategy, which rides on crea� ng a hub within a city and spoke the model around it.

But how does one move to a diff erent market and understand the dynamics of a new territory? Understanding distribu� on systems in a new region and the cultural percep� on of that market is important, panelists said, because scaling up too rapidly can also cost a retailer dearly.

According to Kumaravel, the Indian market is s� ll evolving with tradi� onal retailers turning into modern formats. Here the early birds have had the privilege of making mistakes and learning from them, he pointed out.

Acknowledging that for a large-scale industry, it is diffi cult to customise for a sec� on of consumers within a par� cular region, the panelists agreed that it would be easier to fi nd target consumers through online marke� ng. Online marke� ng has enabled retailers to draw customers to their physical stores by connec� ng with them on social media channels such as Facebook or Twi� er, they said.

A RETAIL SURVIVAL GUIDE: BE NIMBLE, FLEXIBLE, ADAPTABLEThe following session featured an engaging and intriguing discussion on the essen� als of survival for a retailer. The panel included VP Harris, MD, Witco; TP Pratap, Co-Founder and CMO, QwikCilver and Woohoo.in; Sunil Sanklecha, Managing Partner, Nuts n Spices; Lavanya Nalli, President, Nalli Group; CK Kumaravel, CEO and Co-Founder, Naturals Salon and Spa and Chandrima Pareek, Head of Business, Reliance Ecommerce. The panel was moderated by Gautam Kotamraju, SVP - New Ini� a� ves, Myntra.

Understanding that shopping behaviour in South India is s� ll primarily dependent on touch and feel, the online industry does not really threaten the offl ine store format, panelists said. Lavanya Nalli, President, Nalli Group, said that she was convinced that businesses are tuning in with what is in mo� on. Though there were several gaps in the industry, many are bridged by innova� on, she noted. “What consumers want hasn’t changed and everything else is the innova� on around it,” she said.

Is there a need to align stores according to changing dynamics? According to VP Harris, MD, Witco, in-store design paradigms have changed and are now increasingly infl uenced by online ac� vity. Store aisles are growing smaller in size, he said,

South India Retail Summit.indd 29 12/17/2015 8:48:02 PM

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COVER STORY

40 | Shopping Centre News | DECEMBER 2015-JANUARY 2016

COVER STORY

ENCASHING ON THE DIFFERENCE

With the objec� ve of diff eren� a� ng themselves from the intense compe� � on, mall developers are se� ng up malls that off er products and services catering to specifi c needs. The smartest retailers and shopping malls have recognized the value of experien� al retailing: pu� ng the shopper in an immersive environment and off ering op� ons that meet their lifestyle demand. In this cover feature, we have tried to

delve deeper on the subject of the evolu� on and poten� al of specialty and uber niche malls in India. Malls, which understands the design sense, ethnography, technology and rela� onship building and have created a collabora� ve organisa� on, such malls have become niche and have segmented themselves accordingly. Let’s see what the industry experts have to say on this emerging new category of malls, have these malls really came of age or they are s� ll struggling to fi nd their foothold in the retail landscape of the country.

THE SURVIVAL FACTORThe above does help make a point for the viability of specialty malls in India, but then when we look at the journey of malls in India, we have witnessed a lot many developers divert their original ambi� on of launching a mall to conver� ng it into a commercial space / posi� oning it as a mixed use property. Keeping in mind the onslaught of e-commerce, one may defend this decision but then the diversion happened much before the rise of e-commerce in India.

BY ZAINAB S KAZI

Moving from being just

shopping destinations to community centres with a

very good dose of entertainment, leisure and food; malls in India have literally come a long way.

Where the number of screens, food brands and activities at the atrium help differentiate a mall in some form, it is interesting to unearth

the prospects of specialty / niche malls in India.

Cover Story.indd 40 12/18/2015 5:10:13 PM Cover Story.indd 41 12/18/2015 5:10:28 PM

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DECEMBER 2015-JANUARY 2016 Shopping Centre News | 41

MALL INDUSTRY IS DIVERSIFIED, WHILE SOME MALLS HAVE DEVELOPED ON A SMALLER SCALE AND WOULD BE A COLLECTION OF BRANDS ACCUSTOMED WITH PRICING AFFORDABLE FOR ECONOMICALLY CLASS, OTHERS ARE CARVED FOR A NICHE AUDIENCE WITH BRANDS IDENTIFIED AS INTERNATIONAL RETAIL GIANTS.

Elabora� ng on the need for specialty malls in India, Pankaj Renjhen, MD– Retail Services, JLL India shares, “India is famous for its tradi� onal markets and shopping streets that off er specialty products, entertainment and leisure interface. With emergence of organised retail and shopping malls, there has been profound evolu� on in the Indian retail industry. Due to changing aspira� ons of Indian consumers and coming up of interna� onal brands, shopping malls are themselves adap� ng to meet the changing requirements. The retail real estate industry is gradually maturing and going towards the next wave of evolu� on because of the increasing compe� � on from e-tailing. Within this process, there is a need for developing shopping centres that provide a more specialized experience to shoppers with specifi c needs.” In the same breath though, he adds, “

The Specialty Malls that emerged a few years ago to provide such services le� a lot to be required. This is now changing, as well.”

From being shopping des� na� ons to being community centres, malls in India have indeed had a thorough learning. This leads to the ques� on - when malls today are turning and posi� oning themselves to be community centres, how wise is it to have specialty / niche malls in India?

Mahesh M,CEO, Ishanya and Housel!fe makes a valid point here saying, “Every business has its own risk appe� te. Specialty malls have to defy the conven� onal rules of catchment size and drive � me etc. The conserva� sm is an outcome of the worry on such factors vis-a-vis the almost similar investments in infrastructure and opera� ons, leading to a half-hearted approach hence ending up with a product that neither the developer nor the consumer is happy with. It is always suggested to be conscious a� er studying the market condi� ons and then plan since room for making mistakes here is very less. At the same � me, understanding the market dynamics gives you an idea about the consumer mind space. Market condi� ons with respect to consump� on, real estate prices and overall economic upheaval are also indicators to growth which are taken into considera� on.”

Anupam T. ,VP– retail at Lodha Group shares an analy� cal view on the dynamics for specialty malls in India and reveals insights into their soon to launch project, “Specialty centres i.e. Malls that focus on a specialised category like Electronics , Jewellery , Home Décor, Food , Entertainment etc have a poten� al to grow in any fast growing mul� dimensional- both produc� on and consumer demand driven economy like India. However development of the same must be � med and located right along with the right size and Mix . Some centres like Cyber Hub have proven that they work, others like Ishanya are yet to realise their poten� al. At Palava we have envisaged a large specialised entertainment, art and culture formats – we are developing approx. to 500k sq� of space dedicated to entertainment, arts, culture, F&B – 150k

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sq� within our mall at Palava City and the balance in the Palava City.”

He adds, “Specialty malls dealing with Home, Sports goods, jewellery etc. are yet to catch on as the Indian Consump� on is yet to evolve to levels where Organized Retail will be called in to supply to such demand. E.g. there are already high streets in India which have done very well in specialty sector especially jewelry and home goods. Jewel souks in India have had a mixed response.”

Ci� ng the advantage niche / specialty malls have over the others, Rajendra Kalkar, President (west), The Phoenix Mills Limited shares, “Mall industry is diversifi ed in the quality of retail off erings. While some malls have been developed on a smaller scale and would be a collec� on of brands accustomed with pricing aff ordable for economically middle to lower class segments, others are carved for a niche audience with brands iden� fi ed as interna� onal retail giants forerunning a market and pricing strategy of their

Cover Story.indd 41 12/18/2015 5:10:28 PM

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EVENT - MRF

58 | Shopping Centre News | DECEMBER 2015-JANUARY 2016

COLLABORATION IS KEY FOR

THE SUCCESS OF RETAIL

‘Connect, Share, Evolve’. That was the theme of the fourth edition of the annual Middle East Retail Forum (MRF) this

year, which took place on October 27-28 at the Conrad

Hotel in Dubai. The reigning idea being to foster collaboration between retail businesses to

connect, share knowledge and evolve, RetailME reports

Today’s consumers are ‘always connected’. Retail businesses need to reinvent themselves if they wish to meet their evolving expecta� ons. The key to do this is through knowledge collabora� on. retailers need to share informa� on and insights into customer behaviour if they wish to ac� vely infl uence shopper inclina� ons, mo� vate them and manage their paths-to-purchase in conjunc� on with their peers and channel partners.

‘Connect, Share, Evolve’ crystallises this thinking, which essen� ally means always being a step ahead of highly savvy, well-informed customers and an� cipa� ng their demands. MRF 2015 was designed to promote this knowledge collabora� on among retail businesses.

SIX HIGH�ENERGY, POWER�PACKED ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS Feedback from speakers, supporters and par� cipants in the 2014 edi� on also sparked some innova� ve ini� a� ves to make this year’s forum discussion agenda more engaging and interes� ng. Over two days, six power-packed roundtable discussions followed the inaugural session, addressing all areas within the broad spectrum of retail. They included the Retail Business Owners and CEOs Conclave, Logis� cs Conclave, Technology Conclave, Marke� ng Conclave, Retail Design Conclave, fi nally closing with the Shopping Mall Conclave.

TECHNOLOGY CONCLAVE

BUSINESS OWNERS & CEOS CONCLAVE

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DECEMBER 2015-JANUARY 2016 Shopping Centre News | 59

BUSINESS OWNERS & CEOS CONCLAVE NASIF KAYED, SHEIKH MOHAMMED CENTRE FOR CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

LOGISTICS CONCLAVE

ensure seamless communica� on at all retail touch-points. The Logis� cs Conclave saw logis� cs experts and specialists sharing their experiences and learnings in addressing the challenges posed at every step of the logis� cs chain, so crucial to retail.

Among the dis� nguished speakers were Joy Ajlouny – co-founder, director of business development/partnership, Fetchr; Mahmoud Adham – founder, Munchbox; Maartenjan de-Wit – senior industry advisor – retail & consumer industries, SAP MENA; Mark Anthony Lack – COO, Retail Arabia; Mohammad Shoaib Hai – director of supply chain and logis� cs, Majid Al Fu� aim Fashion; Nisha Varman She� y – founder, The Urban Yogi; Rohan Bhardwaj – partner & general manager, Radix Wears; Sajan Alex – general manager, Tablez Food Company; Sarah Appleton – founder, Mini Exchange; Shailen Shukla – head – logis� cs division, Jumbo Electronics Co. Ltd; and Tapan Vaidya – general manager – restaurant division, Jawad Business Group.

TECHNOLOGY CONCLAVE: Fashioning new horizons in retailTechnology has transformed the way retailers and consumers interact with each other. That needs no reitera� on. This infusion of technology has catalysed the crea� on of new business models. So it wasn’t surprising that technology was a dominant topic of discussion at MRF.

The growth of online and mobile commerce has transformed shopping behaviour and fast-forwarded the evolu� on of brick-and-mortar. Such rapid-fi re changes have forced retailers to think of innova� ve ways to reap the rewards of this retail convergence.

The speaker line-up at the Technology Conclave included names like Abdulkhader Pa� lath – regional IT director, LSH Holding Co; Arvind Sahay – regional director, Vinculum MEA; Ashish Panjabi – COO, Jacky’s Group of Companies; Beatriz Carrera – retail lead – UAE & Gulf, SAP; Charbel Sarkis – sector lead for retail, e-commerce, technology and telecom, Google MENA; Mark Thomson – director of retail & hospitality solu� ons EMEA, Zebra Technologies; Pravin Hungund – global head – Technova� on Centre & chief technologist – India & Middle East, Wipro Ltd; Ruwan Manjule – CTO, The Luxury Closet;

RETAIL BUSINESS OWNERS AND CEOS CONCLAVE: Learning from the experience of peersThe Retail Business Owners and CEOs Conclave a� racted over 20 speakers represen� ng diverse facets of retail - from tradi� onal fi ve-decade-old family business to e-commerce concepts, from globally known retailers of cinemas to technology solu� ons providers, and from F&B experts to beauty specialists.

The roster included Adel Rashid – CEO, Hidesign Middle East; Anita Baker – business director, Lush MENA; Debbie Kris� ansen – CEO, Novo Cinemas; Essa Behbehani – founder, Chewy Goowy; Furqan Athar – managing director, Spret Retail; Hannes Liebe – co-MD & COO, SAP MENA; Ian Ohan – founder & CEO, Freedom Pizza; Jeremy Johnston – CEO, Zuhoor Al Reef; Khurshid Vakil – co-founder & execu� ve director, Marina Home Interiors; Kunal Kapoor – founder and managing director, The Luxury Closet; Lama Bazzari – serial entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder, NStyle Interna� onal; Mark Thomson – director of retail & hospitality solu� ons EMEA, Zebra Technologies; Mona Ataya – founder & CEO, Mumzworld.com; Nisreen Shocair – president, Virgin Megastore Middle East; Raju Shroff – managing director, Regal Group; Sarah Appleton – founder, Mini Exchange; Shivam Sharma – CEO, Sana; Thomas Lundgren – founder & CEO, THE One; Ulugbek Yuldashev – founder and managing director, Awok.com; and Ziad Ma� a – founder & CEO, Bou� que 1 Group.

The dis� nguished speakers were joined by mul� -award winning marke� ng expert Michael Leander – CEO, The Michael Leander Company;

researcher Mahboob Murshed – managing director, Alpen Capital (ME) Limited; and Nasif Kayed – managing director, Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding.

There were common threads in the fl ow of ideas and thoughts from this diverse array of speakers – how to op� mally meet fast-changing consumer behaviour with innova� ve retailing; how to ‘outsmart’ today’s highly savvy, well-informed and demanding customers by deploying advanced technology solu� ons to foster meaningful interac� on; and, above all, to gain useful insights and meaningful learning from the success and failures of peers.

That’s not all. The session saw the launch of the inaugural edi� on of RetailME’s coff ee table book – Vision and Views – featuring 30 regional retail stalwarts.

LOGISTICS CONCLAVE: Is digi� sing supply chain the way ahead?‘Always connected’ consumers are impa� ent and unforgiving. They want products and services to be available any� me, anywhere. Stock out is no longer an acceptable op� on for them. If a customer enters a Louis Vui� on store to purchase a par� cular green handbag, that green handbag must be available then and there. Similarly, if customers place an order online for the latest iPhone 6S, they must receive it the very next day.

To meet and match such high expecta� ons, retailers and e-tailers must ensure seamless connec� on and fl ow between all points of the logis� cs chain - from inventory to transporta� on, packaging to delivery, storage to stocking. They must

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AWARDS-RetailME

62 | Shopping Centre News | DECEMBER 2015-JANUARY 201662 | Shopping Centre News | DECEMBER 2015-JANUARY 2016

Images Group hosts the annual Images RetailME Awards that recognises top performing retailers and best retail practices in the industry and rewards excellence across a wide range of retail categories. The annual Middle East Retail Forum is a distinct knowledge platform that brings together the region’s retail visionaries to share best practices across the Middle East. The Images RetailME Awards since its launch has set benchmarks in becoming the largest and the most prestigious awards in the retail sector in Middle East.

SELF NOMINATION BASED AWARDS CATEGORIES• Most Admired Marke� ng Campaign of the Year: Centrepoint• Most Admired Social Media Campaign of the Year: Centrepoint• Most Admired Retail Launch of the Year: LuckyBrand• Most Admired Store Design of the Year - Fashion: Aeropostale• Most Admired Store Design of the Year - Footwear & Accessories: Toms

IMAGES RETAIL ME AWARDS 2015 WINNERS WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE CATEGORIES

INDUSTRY NOMINATED JURY AWARDS CATEGORIES• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Fashion (Premium): Ted Baker• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Fast Fashion (High Street): Forever 21• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Aff ordable Fashion: Max Fashion• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Gold, Jewellery & Watches: Damas• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Footwear & Accessories: Aldo• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Sportswear: Nike• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Children’s wear: Gymboree• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Cosme� cs & Personal Care Products:

Sephora• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Spa & Wellness: Fitness First• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Pharmacy & Healthcare: Life Pharmacy• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Home & Housewares: Home Centre

• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Consumer Electronics: Sharaf DG• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Entertainment: Vox Cinemas• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Leisure: Virgin Megastore• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Food & Grocery: Othaim Markets• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Food Service (QSR): Tim Hortons• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Food Service (Casual Dining):

The Cheesecake Factory• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Department Store: Paris Gallery• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - Hypermarket: Carrefour• Most Admired Rising Star Retailer of the Year: Pedro• Most Admired Interna� onal Retailer of the Year: H&M• Most Admired Middle East Retailer of the Year: Majid Al Fu� aim

• Most Admired Store Design of the Year: Virgin Megastore • Most Admired Online Retailer of the Year: Mumzworld.com• Most Admired Store Manager of the Year: Anton Bulatov - CALL IT SPRING• Most Admired Retailer of the Year - CRM Ini� a� ve: Club Apparel• Most Admired Responsible Retailer of the Year: THE One

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