The two-day Retail Leaders Circle event, a strategic forum focusing on the global retail industry, will take place at Riyadh’s Fairmont Hotel in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, March 22, and Wednesday, March 23.
It’s the Middle East’s second edition and the eighth globally.
This year’s theme is ‘Building responsible and inclusive growth’ and explores four key concepts: purposeful growth – how purpose-driven companies can amass profit while appealing to consumers’ ‘hearts and souls’; new consumer – how shifting demographics and the post-pandemic landscape are altering consumers’ preferences; tech meets humans – how digital innovations and media can appeal to consumers’ emotions; and, next frontiers – how next generation commerce is reshaping the traditional business context.
Panos Linardos, chairman of the Retail Leaders Circle, said: “Our ambition is to bring the Retail Leaders Circle to where the action is.
“These days all eyes are on Riyadh and the wider kingdom, and so across the two agenda-setting days, the 2022 meeting will introduce new and ground-breaking programmes, onsite initiatives and live experiences aiming to facilitate learning, collaboration and partnerships at scale and reinvent the industry norms in real time.”
Prominent speakers include: Regis Schultz, president of Al Futtaim Group’s retail division; Cyrille Fabre, director of Bain & Company’s Middle East division; Ahmed Galal Ismail, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Properties; and Nisreen Shocair, CEO of Yoox Net-a-Porter’s Middle East Division.
At the summit, the GCC personal luxury: a story of early recovery and growth report, a collaboration between luxury retailer Chalhoub Group and The Fashion Commission of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, will be released.
Patrick Chalhoub, group president and CEO of Chalhoub Group, said: “We look forward to the announcement of an exclusive collaboration and launch of our report ‘GCC Personal Luxury in 2021: A story of early recovery and growth’; with a deep dive on KSA; bringing together to the industry our proprietary insights and data to support regional and international brands and businesses.”
Amjad Shacker, acting CEO of the Saudi Conventions and Exhibitions General Authority, parners of the event, said: “Riyadh is proud to host the eighth edition of the Retail Leaders Circle MENA Summit, which provides an excellent platform for the industry to deliberate on issues impacting the sector.
“With retail accounting for 12 per cent of Riyadh’s GDP, and Kingdom-wide annual growth in e-commerce expected to reach 18.95 per cent by 2025, the Summit is a significant opportunity to share knowledge and experience from across the region on how we can unlock even greater potential as we undergo unprecedented transformation.”
