Some of retails leading figures from across Europe came together in the heart of London on Thursday, November 7 (2019) to discuss the hot-topic of retail’s future. The event, organised by Sitoo, Business Sweden and the Swedish Embassy, took place at the Swedish Ambassador’s Residence and brought together a wide selection of retail’s top minds including representatives from Harrods, Gap, Levis, Footlocker and Charlotte Tilbury.
Highlights of the evening included presentations from Jens Levin and Tim Larcombe, both of Sitoo, who described the changing landscape of retail, the role technology is playing in disrupting that landscape and how the best retailers are those who combine technology with putting people first and having a deft human touch.
Massimo Casali, Regional Sales Vice President at Footlocker, attend the event and was full of praise for the evening. “This was a wonderful event in a stunning setting,” he said. “The presentations were very interesting, Sitoo and the Swedish Ambassador were great hosts and it was a pleasure to attend. Technology is changing the way we have to think as retailers and this was another reminder of how important it is for retailers to embrace digital transformation.”
Caroline Atwood, former CEO of Ally Capellino, added: “Tonight has been full of passion and problem solving. It also reinforced the fact that humans, and human behavior, are at the crux of retail.”
“Technology is becoming easier and simpler to use, Sitoo spoke about the pieces of the puzzle and, with technology being so agile, the pieces can be interlinked and interchanged which helps retailers always improve. The people who really keep ahead are those who embrace technology but understand humans plus technology is the most powerful combination.”
The sentiment was echoed by Carolina Osborne, Brand Manager for Europe at Gap International: “Tonight we saw how customer behaviour is changing and how ecommerce and traditional retail need to be in harmony together. Consumers are more connected than ever before so the integration of ecommerce with traditional retail needs to be seamless.”
“It was really interesting to see how technology is helping to facilitate a real omnichannel experience and I was excited to hear how Sitoo’s solution can be scaled internationally.”
Jens Levin, Sitoo co-founder and CEO, added: “What a great night! Firstly, thank you to Torbjörn Sohlström for hosting us and for everyone who joined us. We hope you enjoyed yourselves and left full of ideas and inspired by where the future of retail is going.”
“With so many of retail’s best minds from across Europe in one place, there was a real buzz in the air and genuine excitement as to where the industry is heading. “We’re delighted to be on this journey and to be forging a path to give global enterprise retailers the tools they need to be successful now and into the future.”
