Retail Forward Intelligence System™
2001 Strategic Outlook Conference
The New Economy Is Dead! Long Live the Next Economy!

The Next Economy: The World's Retailers Enter a New Era
The New Economy is dead, the global economy is sinking, crisis abounds, and the world’s retailers await the future with apprehension. What comes next? Will economic growth recover to the level of the 1990s? Will globalisation accelerate or be restrained? Will Europe experience price harmonization? Will Japan experience revolutionary change? Will global retailers remain smitten by emerging markets? Will Internet retailing recover? The answers to all of these questions define the Next Economy. This session examines the Next Economy and the business environment retailers will face globally and in each of the world’s major regions. It offers predictions about the impact on retailers, suppliers, and consumers.

Top Ten Trends: Competing in the Next Economy
In this panel discussion, Retail Forward industry experts will take a look at the top ten trends for the Next Economy by retail sector. Where will retailers find growth? How can mature players reinvent their store portfolios? How can they drive ROI? Will e-retailers find the formula that blends an effective consumer model with a profitable business model? This session provides a snapshot of the hot topics across the fashion, food/drug/mass, homegoods, and e-retail sectors as retailers embark on the Next Economy.

The Top 100 Retailers Worldwide: What Comes Next?
One of the legacies of the “New Economy” is the growing worldwide dominance of fewer, stronger retailers with superior operating skills. Yet, even this elite group continues to evolve. US retailers dominate the top echelons of the list, but most still lack a presence outside North America; the largest non-US retailers tend to be quite global, but many still lack a US presence. Traditionally many of the largest retailers have operated diversified portfolios; today many are retrenching and rationalizing, while focused operators move ahead. What are the stories behind the numbers? Can a truly global retail industry emerge? What can we expect from the Top 100 Retailers Worldwide in the Next Economy?

Retailer-Supplier Relationships in the Next Economy: The Impact of Globalization
The success of global retailers and their key suppliers is more interdependent than ever before. This presentation will critically examine the impact that the Top 100 Retailers’ activities and fortunes will have on packaged goods suppliers of global, regional and local scope. Areas of focus include product sourcing/manufacturing implications, organisational alignment, and finding the “wins” in managing multi-market customer relationships.

What’s Next? A Retailer’s Guide to Meeting Consumer Expectations
What will consumers expect from the shopping experience in the Next Economy? What can retailers do to deliver? How will such evolving consumer trends as the search for value, the desire to make the most of each shopping trip, the need for customer communication, and an opportunity for customisation play out in the marketplace? How can retailers use such strategies as marketing partnerships, new store formats, alternative locations, and brand extensions to grow market share? This session examines trends in consumer shopping behaviour and retailers’ responses to these trends.

Success Ingredients for the Next Economy: Intimacy, Innovation, and Integration
Prosperous strategies in the Next Economy will rely on developing skills in at least three areas: intimacy with customers; innovation in products, services, and information; and broad-spectrum integration with trading partners. Why are these skills so important? What are the lessons learned by leaders in these skill areas? How can these skills be developed in your organisation? This session will explore the role of intimacy, innovation, and integration in the emerging success stories of the Next Economy.