World Retail Congress is the largest international meeting place for retail leaders. The event is run by EMAP - a B2B publishing company. Each year, leaders of retail are invited to speak at the conference about relevant and topical issues that are shaping global retail.The conference is an industry-devised, board-level forum that discusses issues affecting the international retail industry; covering core retail issues as well as social, economic, political and ethical concern. For 2011 the World Retail Congress will take place between the 25th - 28th of September in Berlin, Germany. World Retail Congress Asia is a partner event dedicated to Asia Pacific retail and is due to be held in Hong Kong in March 2012.

Past Speakers & Advisory Boards

• Angela Ahrendts
  Angela Ahrendts
  Angela Ahrendts is an American businessperson and CEO of Burberry, the iconic British luxury brand. Headquartered in London the brand has built a global reputation for pioneering design and innovation...
  
  
• Sir Martin Sorrell
• Gilbert Harrison
• Matt Rubel
• Sir Stuart Rose
• Allan Leighton
  Allan Leighton
  Allan Leighton is an English businessman, former CEO of Asda and former non-executive Chairman of the Royal Mail.-Biography:Born in Hereford, the son of a Co-op stores manager, he was raised in Oxford...
  
  
• Marvin Traub
  Marvin Traub
  Marvin Traub is a prominent business executive in the retail sector known for his impact on merchandising and marketing. Traub was CEO and President of Bloomingdale's for twenty-two years leaving in 1992 to found his own consulting firm, Marvin Traub Associates...
  
  
• John Donahoe
  John Donahoe
  John Donahoe is an American businessman and the President and CEO of eBay Inc. since March 31, 2008, succeeding Meg Whitman, who stepped down from the role after 10 years, and who continues to serve on the company's Board of Directors....
  
  
• William Fung
  William Fung
  Dr. William Fung Kwok Lun, BSE, OBE, JP is a Hong Kong entrepreneur who is the group managing director of Li & Fung Group, one of the largest trading companies in Hong Kong, as well as an alumnus and trustee of Princeton University. He is the younger brother of Dr. Victor Fung Kwok King, the...
  
  
• Arvind Singhal
  Arvind singhal
  Arvind Kumar Singhal is a columnist for Business Standard who regularly writes the column, Marketmind appearing on alternate Thursdays. The column has been in circulation for 7 years and focuses on the pulse of the market in India.Mr...
  
  
• Phil Wrigley
• Ron Marshall
• Gilbert Harrison
• Rick Darling
  Rick Darling
  Warwick Maxwell "Rick" Darling is a former Australian Test cricketer.Darling is the great-nephew of Joe Darling, and learnt to play cricket at his family's home at Ramco on the Murray River. He played for the Salisbury district club in 1970–71, and started his first-class career in 1975–76 with...
  
  
• Arvind Singhal
  Arvind singhal
  Arvind Kumar Singhal is a columnist for Business Standard who regularly writes the column, Marketmind appearing on alternate Thursdays. The column has been in circulation for 7 years and focuses on the pulse of the market in India.Mr...
  
  
• Govind Shrikhande
• Anders Dahlvig
  Anders Dahlvig
  Anders Dahlvig, born 1957 in Sweden, is the former president of the Swedish furniture store chain, IKEA. Dahlvig started working for IKEA in 1984 and has held various positions since, including Store Manager, Country Manager of United Kingdom and Vice President, Europe...
  
  
• Bill Brand
  Bill Brand
  Bill Brand is a British television drama series produced by Thames Television for the ITV network in 1976.Written by Trevor Griffiths, the series charted the political progress of the titular Brand, a Labour Party Member of Parliament who finds the demands of his career at odds with his left-wing...
  
  
• Peter Fitzgerald
  Peter Fitzgerald
  Peter Gosselin Fitzgerald is a former United States Senator from Illinois and was in office from 1999 to 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party . He previously served in the Illinois State Senate from 1992 to 1998, where he was a member of the 'Fab Five' group of conservatives who often...
  
  
• Martin Butler
  Martin Butler
  Martin Neil Butler is a former English footballer who played as a striker between 1993 and 2009. Butler notably played for Walsall, Cambridge United and Reading...
  
  
• Philip Thomas
  Philip Thomas
  Philip Francis Thomas was an American lawyer and politician.Born in Easton, Maryland, he graduated from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania in 1830. He studied law and became a lawyer in Easton. He was a delegate to the Maryland's constitutional convention in 1836 and a member of the Maryland House...
  
  
• Tommy Hilfiger
  Tommy Hilfiger
  Thomas Jacob "Tommy" Hilfiger is an American fashion designer and founder of the premium lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger.-Early life:...
  
  

2011 Programme

The 2011 World Retail Congress programme has been put together following extensive industry research with retailers from around the world but also with the guidance and consultation with the Congress Advisory Board.

Against the background of the fast-changing retail world, the programme will therefore address retailers' concerns:

• how to re-focus on the basics of good retailing which can help deliver growth;
• an understanding of what multi channel retailing really means for their brands
• the rise in mobile communications and its use by today's consumers
• how to deliver successful international growth and having a real understanding of shopper behaviour both on and off line.

2011 Speakers

• John Blackburn
  John Blackburn
  John Blackburn may refer to:*John Blackburn , Chaplain-General to the British Armed Forces 2000 to 2004*John Blackburn , British novelist*John Blackburn , British politician, MP for Newport 1806–1807...
  
  ,Vice President, Global Retail Strategy and Business Development, IBM
• Bill Brand
  Bill Brand
  Bill Brand is a British television drama series produced by Thames Television for the ITV network in 1976.Written by Trevor Griffiths, the series charted the political progress of the titular Brand, a Labour Party Member of Parliament who finds the demands of his career at odds with his left-wing...
  
  ,CMO, HSNi
• Matt Brittin
  Matt Brittin
  Matt Brittin is the CEO of Google UK.Brittin has been interviewed on the BBC Radio 4 program In Business Now where he discussed the company's strategies for nurturing new ideas and projects. He also talked about the controversy over the Google Streets car recording wifi traffic and Google's green...
  
  ,Managing Director, UK & Ireland, Google, Non Executive Director, Sainsbury’s
• Alastair Bruce,Director Retail & Travel, Google ASG
• Ernst Burgbacher
  Ernst Burgbacher
  Ernst Burgbacher is a German politician and member of the FDP.- External links :* *...
  
  ,Parliamentary State Secretary, German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology
• Martin Butler
  Martin Butler
  Martin Neil Butler is a former English footballer who played as a striker between 1993 and 2009. Butler notably played for Walsall, Cambridge United and Reading...
  
  ,Author and Lecturer
• Ian Cheshire
  Ian Cheshire
  Ian Cheshire, born London 12 April 1936 is a Scottish petroleum engineer who developed the Eclipse reservoir simulator. He has most recently worked for Schlumberger where he was a Schlumberger Fellow from 1999 to 2003....
  
  ,Group Chief Executive, Kingfisher Plc
• Anders Dahlvig
  Anders Dahlvig
  Anders Dahlvig, born 1957 in Sweden, is the former president of the Swedish furniture store chain, IKEA. Dahlvig started working for IKEA in 1984 and has held various positions since, including Store Manager, Country Manager of United Kingdom and Vice President, Europe...
  
  ,Non executive director, H&M and Kingfisher
• Rick Mills
  Rick Mills
  Rick Mills is an American glass artist who was born and raised in Marion, Ohio. He received his bachelor of fine art degree in sculpture from Ohio State University, where the art department reopened its glass program in 1980, during Mills last semester...
  
  ,Group Director of Strategy and Corporate Development, Alliance Boots
• Javier Perez
  Javier Pérez
  Javier Pérez Iniesta is a retired basketball player.-Clubs:*1988-90: Real Madrid*1990-98: Ourense Baloncesto*1998-99: Cantabria Baloncesto*1999-00: Gijón Baloncesto*2000-02: Club Instituto Rosalía de Castro...
  
  ,Europe CEO, Mastercard Worldwide
• David Roth
  David Roth
  David Roth is an American magician.Roth is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest living coin magicians. Roth is known both for tremendous technical mastery and for playful and surrealistic formal performance pieces...
  
  ,CEO, WPP The Store
• Matt Rubel,Senior Advisor, TPG Capital.
• John Ryan
  John Ryan
  -Military:*Several recipients of the Victoria Cross:** in 1857, see John Ryan ** in 1863, see John Ryan ** in 1918, see John Ryan *John Dale Ryan , General in the United States Air Force-Business:...
  
  ,Stores Editor, Retail Week
• Govind Shrikhande,Managing Director, Shopper’s Stop
• Arvind Singhal
  Arvind singhal
  Arvind Kumar Singhal is a columnist for Business Standard who regularly writes the column, Marketmind appearing on alternate Thursdays. The column has been in circulation for 7 years and focuses on the pulse of the market in India.Mr...
  
  ,Chairman& Managing Director, Technopak
• Sir Martin Sorrell,CEO, WPP Group
• Steve Stoute
  Steve Stoute
  Steve Stoute is an author, entrepreneur, advertising executive and American record executive and artist manager.-Music Executive:From 1990 to 1999, Stoute was an executive at several leading labels in the music industry...
  
  ,Founder & CEO, Translation
• Philip Thomas
  Philip Thomas
  Philip Francis Thomas was an American lawyer and politician.Born in Easton, Maryland, he graduated from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania in 1830. He studied law and became a lawyer in Easton. He was a delegate to the Maryland's constitutional convention in 1836 and a member of the Maryland House...
  
  ,CEO, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

Advisory Board

Members of the Board play a proactive, invaluable and vital role in shaping and directing the strategic thinking and content behind the year's agenda. The members work to secure the best speakers and act as ambassadors for the Congress in the retail and political community.

• Alex Cara,Former Group Franchise Managing Director, New Look
• Ian Cheshire
  Ian Cheshire
  Ian Cheshire, born London 12 April 1936 is a Scottish petroleum engineer who developed the Eclipse reservoir simulator. He has most recently worked for Schlumberger where he was a Schlumberger Fellow from 1999 to 2003....
  
  ,Group Chief Executive, Kingfisher Plc
• Clapham
  Clapham
  Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
  
  ,General Manager of European Market Development, MasterCard Europe
• Rick Darling
  Rick Darling
  Warwick Maxwell "Rick" Darling is a former Australian Test cricketer.Darling is the great-nephew of Joe Darling, and learnt to play cricket at his family's home at Ramco on the Murray River. He played for the Salisbury district club in 1970–71, and started his first-class career in 1975–76 with...
  
  ,President, Li & Fung US
• Jose Gomez
  José Gómez
  Jose Gomez or Gomes may refer to:*José Horacio Gomez, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles*José Gómez Ortega, Spanish bullfighter*José Miguel Gómez, Cuban general*José Gómez , Cuban boxer*José Gómez , Mexican distance runner...
  
  ,VP International Expansion, Mango
• Terry Lundgren,Chairman, President & CEO, Federated Department Stores, Inc.
• Lovro Mandac,Chairman, Galeria Kaufhof & Vice President,, HDE
• Michael Mark
  Michael Mark
  Michael Mark was a Russian-born American film actor. He appeared in over 120 films between 1928 and 1969...
  
  ,CEO, TruWorths
• Ian Moir
  Ian Moir
  Ian Moir was an Australian rugby league player, a champion wing three-quarter of the 1950s for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. He made eight Test appearances for the Australian national representative side and represented in four World Cup matches in two World Cups and in 14 Kangaroo tour...
  
  ,CEO, Woolworths SA
• Mike Webster,Senior Vice President and General Manager, Oracle Retail
• Jianzong Wu,Chairman, Wumart
• Lucy Wu Ruiling,Vice Secretary-General, Chief Director of International, The China Chain Store & Franchise Association (CCFA)

Associated Events

• World Architecture Festival
  World Architecture Festival
  The World Architecture Festival is an annual event held in Barcelona organised by EMAP, a media group that runs other festivals, including the World Retail Congress and Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, as well as publishes various journals, including within the field of...
  
  
• Drapers Fashion Summit (of Drapers
  Drapers
  Drapers, formerly Drapers Record, was founded on 6 August 1887 as a magazine for the women's clothing retail trade. It is now the leading weekly business-to-business magazine covering the fashion retail sector...
  
  )
• Retail Week Conference
  Retail Week Conference
  Retail Week Conference is an annual event designed to bring together members of the retail industry. The event is hosted by the magazine brand, Retail Week, which belongs to emap - a B2B publishing company. Each year, leaders of retail are invited to speak at the conference about relevant and...
  
  
• Oracle World Retail Awards (of Oracle Corporation
  Oracle Corporation
  Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
  
  )
• Retail Future Challenge
• World Retail Hall Of Fame
• World Retail Congress Asia