Czech Retail Summit 2005

A Thousand Retailers, Suppliers and Experts Have Discussed about the Future or Central European Market.

A Thousand Retailers, Suppliers and Experts Have Discussed about the Future or Central European Market After the EU accession, the Czech retail market has reacheda new development phase.The growing competition pressures raise the need to change the way how the companies active in the retail market are managed up to now. Demand after information and ideas that would enable to realize such changes is evidently growing.

It was proved also by enormous interest in this year’s Czech Retail Summit, held on February 1 and 2 2005 in Sazka Arena Praha. The 11th year of this traditional event organised by the Czech Confederation of Commerce and Tourism, University of Economics in Prague and consulting company INCOMA Consult welcomed the.record number of delegates (nearly 1 000) from 25 countries.

The conference discussion concentrated on 2 major focal points:

• Searching for balance between liberalization and regulation of retail market
• Development of trade after the accession of new members to EU

The first topic was fundamentally treated by one of the directors of the global chain TESCO, Mr. Harjeet Drubra. He has referred to Lisbon strategy of EU that calls for "smaller and smarter" market regulation. It is necessary to reduce the bureaucratic interventions namely in the area of new small businesses establishment. Regulation should be replaced by positive stimulation, e.g. through support of education and innovation activities. Support of Lisbon strategy was expressed also by the president of the Czech Confederation of Commerce and Tourism Mrs. Helena Pískovská. She emphasized that the confederation fully supports the pertinent views of Eurocommerce and shares its strategy, a/o in the field of the care after culture of entrepreneurship, consumers protection and creation of conditions for further growth of retail trade.

The present trade development in EU was a topic of many key speakers contributions, as well as discussion in several workshops. Very interesting opinion was presented by Mr. Jacquot Boelen, the boss of Central European headquarters of Ahold. He accented the advantages of regional centralization of those activities that are supporting business (e.g. buying of goods, services or logistics). At the same time he expressed a conviction that marketing should keep very strong targeting on individual national or local markets. That creates a continuous demand after high quality marketing information and knowledge. The differences in the demand character in individual countries were also clearly described in the typology of shopping behaviour of Central and East European customers.

Basid Data on Czech Retail Summit 2005

• The 11th year of the traditional conference on retail trade development was characterised by several important novelties (namely return back to Prague, important accent on European and regional aspects of retail business and last but not least the linkage with the Gala Evening Golden Ducate - awarding with prizes of the journal Moderní obchod). That enabled to attract a unique number of visitors - nearly 1 000 representatives of retail trade, production of consumer goods and providers of connected services.
   
• Most participants were representatives of top management management and managers responsible for commercial activities (such as sales, buying, marketing, or logistics and export). Importance of the event can be seen from number of top managers registered there - about 300 delegates were general managers, board members or directors of various institutions.
   
• Almost all companies from top 10 of the Czech trade and nearly all key suppliers took part in the summit.
   
• Foreign guests came from 25 countries. This summit was special by a high share of representatives of Central and East European regional headquarters.
   
• Last but not least, Czech Retail Summit 2005 welcomed many personalities of European stature. Besides abovementioned speakers there were e.g. the chief of the European buying alliance EMD Mr. Peter Hampl, The General Secretary of Eurocommerce Mr. Xavier Durieu, General Manager of the German association of Commerce Mr. Holger Wenzel or macroeconomic expert from Vienna Mr. Peter Havlik.

The conference was held thanks to the support of dozens companies and institutions. Special thanks belong to the platinum partner - Živnostenská banka, communication partner- EUROTEL and expert guarantor- SAP company.

For more datailed information please contact Antonín Parma (tel: +420 251 117 522 or e-mail:konference@incoma.cz).

News are continuously for your disposal at www.retail21.cz.