World Retail Congress news and archive

World Retail Congress: Experts discuss the reality of AI in retail

London - Prior to the event, it was already clear that the theme of AI would be unavoidable at the World Retail Congress in London. Although it is still a hot topic, the hype and initial panic have given way to reflection and well-considered steps. There were certainly advocates and fans of AI. Scott Price, chief executive officer of DFI Retail...

Fashion

After hype: H&M's former CEO on next phase of sustainability in fashion industry

London - One of the best speakers at the World Retail Congress 2025 was Helena Helmersson. The former CEO led the Swedish H&M Group for several years and recently became the chair at material innovation company Circulose. In London, during a compelling keynote speech, she urged all professionals present to refocus on sustainability. Helmersson...

People

Chairman Patrick Chalhoub: "I am not at all worried about luxury industry"

The Chalhoub Group contributes to the success of luxury brands through joint ventures and distribution agreements. Although diverse luxury fashion houses recently saw their sales and profits decline, chairman and former chief executive officer Patrick Chalhoub sees no reason to worry about the luxury industry. Chalhoub was interviewed at the...

Business

On’s Cco on journey from underdog to global player

Swiss sportswear brand On has not been an underdog for some time. The brand has recorded significant growth for years and is now ranked among sports brands such as Nike, Adidas and Puma. It also means that On has made the journey from start-up to scale-up to global company. That is why the company is now re-evaluating what it needs, commercial...

Retail

WRC 2024: 'We greatly value local consumers', say CEOs of Harrods and Galeries Lafayette

Michael Ward, managing director of Harrods (London), and Nicolas Houzé, CEO of Galeries Lafayette (Paris), have shared their expert advice at the World Retail Congress, the international event for retail professionals that kicked off on Tuesday and concludes its talks today, April 18. Host Selvane Mohandas du Ménil asks the two major retail...

Retail|INTERVIEW

"Make a lot of mistakes, quickly but above all, inexpensively", taking stock of the first year of Madrid’s Wow Concept

Almost a year ago Europe’s newest concept store Wow Concept opened its doors for the first time, an innovative proposal that landed on Gran Vía boulevard in Madrid. It marked a new chapter in the career of Spanish businessman Dimas Gimeno who is the former president of department store chain El Corte Inglés and now founding partner and president...

Featured

Retail|REPORT

WRC 2023: Retail giants share the industry's key insights

For yet another year, this week the World Retail Congress brought together some of the world's most important leaders in fashion and retail as drivers of consumer trends and representatives of the current state of retail. The 2023 edition of the WRC took place in Barcelona. Experts from retailers such as Mango, Primark, Zalando, Sephora, Spanish...

Retail|WORLD RETAIL CONGRESS

British speakers at the WRC 2023, spearheaded by Primark, united against Brexit

If there is one thing the speakers from British companies made clear during the last day of the World Retail Congress 2023 in Barcelona today, it is that they are unhappy with the negative consequences of Brexit, a view that Primark CEO Paul Marchant echoed in his speech yesterday. As well as calling for more recognition for retailers as...

Retail|World Retail Congress

Mango: "We are working on a ‘passport’ that contains details about the traceability of a product"

Within the framework of the World Retail Congress, which brought together the main leaders of the retail sector in Barcelona to tackle the main challenges of this industry, Luis Casacuberta - General Manager of Mango Woman, Kids & Home today announced that Spanish multinational Mango is working on a type of 'passport' that will allow its...

Retail|World Retail Congress

Frasers Group to launch 'Frasers Plus', the new Amazon Prime?

Speaking at the World Retail Congress 2023, a conference that has taken over Barcelona for a total of three days, Michael Murray - CEO of Frasers Group - announced yesterday that the British retail giant is about to introduce ‘Frasers Plus’ to the UK market in what they have dubbed their own version of Amazon Prime. Frasers Plus is to be a...

Retail|WORLD RETAIL CONGRESS

Sephora reinforces its commitment to omnichannel by posting strong results

After having tested the UK market through its online channel, French cosmetics chain Sephora, owned by LVMH group, landed physically in the UK at the beginning of 2023 with a shop in Westfield London. Just a few weeks after its opening, this shop - covering more than 6,000 square metres and created with the aim of "surprising and delighting...

Retail|World Retail Congress 2023

"Retail is a human business" and prioritising technology is dangerous, experts warn

It seems that the fact that physical shops will soon employ fewer humans was a futuristic idea, but with the advent of the internet and other technological innovations, this Matrix-worthy scenario is no more than the reality today. But what does this mean for the average shopper, and for the retail sector? Yesterday we discussed how retailers'...