Over 1000 senior level delegates: summing up the largest International Russian Retail Congress

September 4-6 in Russia welcomed Retail Director, the largest retail summit. It was held in the downtown of Moscow, in Renaissance hotel and gathered over 1100 delegates from 12 countries of the world and 42 regions of Russia. The General Partner of this major event was Ernst and Young.

According to Dr. Gordon R. Campbell, Managing Director of SPAR International, the largest global association of independent retailers, the key objective of Chief Executives Summit 2008 was to understand, how to work in the environment of economic crisis and to exchange opinions with the colleagues.

Recession in the west countries markets and fall outs of the banking crisis entailed increasing concerns of the international retail chains regarding opportunities for growth. In this environment the Retail Director summit, gathering annually complete quorum of the key players of the fast growing international market, becomes progressively interesting for the professional community of the world. Chief executives of various companies from Great Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, Spain, the USA and China attended the event. Financing, licensing (selling master franchises) and joint business with the Russian companies – it is a far inexhaustible list of issues, which the international participants addressed to their Russian colleagues. Taking into account the debt liquidity crisis of the national retail chains, perspectives for growth and current operations efficiency became top priority problems, which the parties discussed.

Leaders of the international and Russian retail market delivered over 100 speeches to the Summit within 2 days. Key reports made Dr. Gordon R. Campbell, SPAR International Managing Director, Lev Khasis, X5 Retail Group Chief Executive Officer, Alexander Federov, Dikaya Orkhideya President, Evgeny Chichvarkin, Euroset Chairman of the Board, Georgy Lyamin, Top-Kniga General Director, Andrey Berezhnoy, Ralf Ringer Founder and General Director, Alexey Bobrov, Lenta General Director, Dmitry Efimov, Nizhfarm General Director, Ksenia Ryasova, CEO of the Finn Flare Global Office.

The Summit was traditionally closed with the Retail Grand-Prix, awarded annually to the retail chains and their business partners for the projects of industry-wide strategic significance. “Our country and our market are changing incredibly fast, - commented on the ceremony Lev Khasis, X5 Retail Group Chief Executive Officer, – And today there are no doubts that the Retail Grand-Prix is the principal award of the industry, acclaimed by the entire global professional community.”

Retail Director, VII International Congress was organized by BBCG part of Expomedia Group with the assistance of the Retail Companies Association (RF) and participation of the Union of Independent Chains of Russia and a number of international associations, such CIES Food Business Forum, Global Retail Network, China CCFA, World Retail Congress. Next year Summit is slated for September 10-11.

Highlights 2008