Retail Forward Intelligence System™
2002 Strategic Outlook Conference
Are You Ready for the Next Economy?

Preparing for the Next Economy
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 take off? 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, offering predictions about the impact of the Next Economy on retailers, suppliers, and consumers.

The Top 100 Retailers Worldwide: What Comes Next?
Even though an increasingly dominant group of fewer, stronger retailers with superior operating skills has emerged on the global landscape, this elite group of retailers continues to evolve. US retailers dominate the top echelons of the list, but most still lack a presence outside of 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 in the Next Economy?

Retail Industry Change Agents in the Next Economy
In the Next Economy, change agents will transform the face of retailing and the requirements for success. They will expose the weaknesses of many retailers while increasing the gap between the leaders and laggards. They will change consumer expectations while reducing the margin for error. They will render many strategies superfluous while increasing the differential advantage of others. This session explores the retailers, positioning strategies, merchandising capabilities, format characteristics, operating capabilities, and consumer fundamentals that will drive change in the Next Economy.

Asset Intensification: Doing More with What You Have in the Next Economy
Up and down the consumer products pipeline, the Next Economy is going to be about doing more with what you have. For retailers, it will be about getting more out of core markets, same stores and existing customers. For manufacturers, it will be about focusing on what is core, eliminating what is not. For retailers and manufacturers alike, it will be about forming strategic alliances that minimize risk while opening new avenues.

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.