Retail Leaders discuss Paradigms that are Reshaping Retail at RAI Retail Leadership Summit 2022

• Retail industry leaders deliberated on the future of the retail industry in India at theRetail Leadership Summit 2022 (RLS 2022) held on April 27 and 28, at the Westin Mumbai Powai Lake
• The Retail Leadership Summit (RLS) is an annual congregation organised by the Retailers Association of India (RAI)

April 30, 2022, Mumbai: The Indian Retail Industry came together at Retailers Association of India’s (RAI) Retail Leadership Summit (RLS) 2022, on April 27 & 28, 2022 in Mumbai, for a deep dive into the evolving landscape of retail in the post-pandemic era. The 2022 edition of Retail Leadership Summit (RLS) is presented by Reliance Retail.

Speaking about the theme of the RAI Retail Leadership Summit 2022 (RLS 2022), Kumar Rajagopalan, Chief Executive Officer, Retailers Association of India, said, “The Retail Leadership Summit is a congregation of leaders where they deliberate on trends that are reshaping retail. The pandemic has created new thoughts around hybrid work cultures. They have also resulted in new shopping patterns such as preference for omnichannel, shopping for others as much as for oneself, and a need for personalisation. The perception of values associated with a brand in the eyes of customers has also changed. Today’s consumers believe much more in health & wellness and sustainability. Trends that are definitely going to change retail include Metaverse, 5G, Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)–which will enable many small retailers to get on digital commerce, quick commerce with new players coming in who are not traditionally retailers and video commerce.”

Shri Anil Agrawal, Additional Secretary, DPIIT, Govt. of India was the Chief Guest of the Summit and addressed the delegates virtually. The Guest of Honor of RLS 2022 was Nandan Nilekani, Chairman and Co-Founder, Infosys and Founding Chairman UIDAI (Aadhaar), addressed the delegates virtually on how technology is transforming the retail industry in the country providing credit access to millions of small retailers and helping the market to grow. Thampy Koshy, MD & CEO, Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) gave a presentation on ONDC.

The tone of the summit was set by the Chairman’s address on day 1 (April 27) by Bijou Kurien, Chairman, Retailers Association of India (RAI). While keynotes addresses were delivered by  Ashwin Khasgiwala, Chief Operations Controller, Reliance Retail Ltd. & Director, Reliance Brands Ltd. (day 1- April 27) and Jamshyd N Godrej, Chairman & Managing Director, Godrej and Boyce (day 2 – April 28).

The highlights were the special addresses on the Future of Retail by B S Nagesh, Chairman, Shoppers Stop; Founder – TRRAIN, which was followed by announcement of a MoU between TRRAIN & RAI to work together to implement Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies with retailers registered with the Retailers Association of India (RAI). TRRAIN & RAI will also collaborate on the identification and mapping of job roles at different levels within the industry, appropriate to the type of disability.

Other highlights included a presentation by Susanne Pulverer, CEO & Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA India; and a talk by Elizabeth Clarke, Conservation Director, WWF-Singapore, on Incorporating Responsible Sourcing in Retail Supply Chains Introduction.  

A Knowledge Report by BCG and RAI on ‘Racing towards the next wave of Retail in India’ was also unveiled and presented by Abheek Singhi, Senior Partner & Managing Director Asia-Pacific Leader, Consumer and Retail Practice, BCG.

The Summit saw the participation from leaders like Damodar Mall, CEO – Grocery Retail, Reliance Retail Ltd.; Devndra Chawla, MD & CEO, Spencer’s Retail & Nature’s Basket; Gunjan Shah of Bata India; Kulin Lalbhai of Arvind Ltd.; Susanne Pulverer of IKEA, Venu Nair of Shoppers Stop Ltd; Rajneet Kohli, President & Chief Business Officer, Domino’s (Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd.); among others.

The summit had a plethora of captivating panel discussions on Consumer, Technology, Competition – Forces Shaping Strategy; The New Marketing Mantra: Connect, Converse, Click; Reimagining Business to Stay Relevant and Robust; Loyalty Sutra: How to Keep Them Happy and Coming Back; Loyalty Sutra: How to Keep Them Happy and Coming Back; Business Transformation to Stay Relevant; Changed Consumers, New Expectations: Getting it Right; Redesigning the Business around Customer Experience; Secrets to D2C Success: Winning Strategies to Getting Direct to Consumer Correct; Pushing the Boundaries: Roadmap to Growth and Expansion; Agility, Business Model and Customer Centricity: Getting the ABCs Right; among others.

 The round tables at the event included:

– Strategies to Overcome the Barriers Of B2B Payments With New-Age Solutions & Innovation

– Data and Marketing – A Match made in Heaven: Experience, Challenges, Opportunities

– DTC: Myths and Realities

– Future of Retail in India with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)

– How Global CXOs are Making Smart Choices Using Intelligent Applications – A Journey Beyond Traditional AI/ML

Many retail leaders had an open dialogue and were sharing insights during the discussions namely, Abhishek Ganguly, MD, Puma India & South East Asia; Anupam Bansal, Director, Liberty Shoes Ltd.; Anurag Katriar, Founder & MD, Indigo Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.; Avnish Anand, Co- Founder & COO, CaratLane; CK Kumaravel, Co-Founder, Naturals; Kavita Rao, Country Commercial Manager, IKEA India; Manish Kapoor, MD & CEO, Pepe Jeans India Ltd.; Mohit Khattar, CEO, Baskin Robbins (Graviss Foods Pvt Ltd); Namrata Chotrani, CEO, Khadim India Ltd.; Rafique Malik, Chairman, Metro Brands Ltd.; P Jayakumar, CEO, Apollo Pharmacy; Raghu Rajagopalan, President & COO, Max Retail Division (Lifestyle International Pvt. Ltd.; Rahul Vira, CEO, Skechers South Asia Pvt. Ltd.; Rajiv Nair, Group CEO, Kaya Ltd.; Rajneesh Mahajan, CEO, Inorbit Malls India Pvt. Ltd.; Ravi Saxena, Managing Director, Wonderchef Home Appliance Pvt. Ltd.; Rochita Dey, Director, Sreeleathers Ltd.; Sagar Daryani, Co Founder & CEO, Wow! Momo Foods Pvt. Ltd.; Sanjay Vakharia, CEO, Spykar Lifestyles Pvt. Ltd.;  Vineet Gautam, CEO & Country Head, Bestseller Retail India Pvt . Ltd. among many others.

The day 1 came to a close with the felicitation of the crème de la crème of the retail industry with the India’s Retail Champions Award 2022 and the Retail Start-up Awards 2022—both evaluated by eminent personalities from the industry as the Jury.

Winners of the India’s Retail Champions Awards 2022 were: