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Retail Week Conference's 20th Anniversary
To prove the point that the economy moves in cycles, it's fascinating to remember that back in 1990 when delegates gathered in Brighton for the very first Retail Week Conference, the country was grappling, just as it is today, with a severe recession. Then, as now, the housing market was at the centre of the crisis and the dread phrase was "negative equity".
But the very first Retail Week Conference was a huge success. The retail industry had never before had an opportunity to come together as one to discuss the key topics affecting them all. With keynote speakers such as Tesco's chairman, Ian Maclaurin and Body Shop founder, Anita Roddick, delegates could hear what the leading retailers were thinking about current trends. They were then able to discuss these in more detail at focussed breakout sessions where panels of experts and retailers presented on a range of operational challenges.
The success of the very first Retail Week Conference as a platform for retailers to meet, network and discuss ways of moving their businesses forward helped set the format for the event that has grown to become the premier retail event in the UK.
Ian McGarrigle
Congress Director, World Retail Congress
(Former Editor of Retail Week and Founder of Retail Week Conference)
Download 2011 Event Guide
In facing up to the most difficult macro economic environment in decades, retailers have a mutual interest in sharing the strategies to ensure that the industry remains a powerhouse of the UK economy.
Peter Williams
Non-executive Director - ASOS
Advisory Board Member
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