Retail Week Conference 2012: Who are the headline speakers?

The two-day event is crammed full of the most influential leaders from some of the biggest and inspiring retail businesses in the country, including chiefs from retail powerhouses such as Marks & Spencer, the John Lewis Partnership, Tesco, Amazon and Kingfisher. So who are some of the headline speakers? And why are they proving such a draw for delegates at this year’s event?

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Ian Cheshire, group chief executive, Kingfisher

As retailers look to international markets to find growth opportunities, there is arguably no better retailer to talk about growing a business globally than Cheshire. The international strategy of Cheshire and his team has been lauded as one of the most successful of all UK retailers, and he will share the lessons he has learnt.

Chris North, managing director, Amazon UK

Amazon’s consumer popularity continues to soar – it is now the UK’s biggest entertainment retailer, it continues to innovate and develop its brand with new category launches, and it is continuing its global march into new international territories. So who better to talk about the incredible online opportunities that are open to retailers than North, the UK managing director of the online giant?

Marc Bolland, chief executive, M&S

Retailers never fail to fascinated by the bellwether of the UK high street, and Bolland is speaking for the first time at The Cloud Retail Week Conference since he took over the helm of the retail giant. M&S is famed for its approach to sustainable retailing, but the economic climate in which it launched its commitment to responsible retailing five years ago was a very different from today. Bolland will consider how sustainability can fit into today’s more straitened times.

Charlie Mayfield, chairman, John Lewis Partnership

Mayfield will open the conference on the first day with a keynote presentation on the evolution of retail. With its unerring focus on putting the customer first, JLP has proved its resilience in a difficult economic period and has adapted its business to thrive. Mayfield will sum up today’s retailing environment and consider the challenges of evolving a business for continued success.

Richard Brasher, UK chief executive, Tesco

There is no retailer in the country that wouldn’t like to know some of the secrets of the UK’s biggest retailer. The grocer hasn’t had the easiest of times since it announced a lacklustre Christmas performance, but its power cannot be called into question. UK chief executive Brasher will speak on the business and the value UK retail creates. This is your opportunity to learn lessons from a business with more than 2,500 UK stores.

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