The 6th edition of Bangladesh Retail Congress, crafted under the theme “Designing the Future Of Retail” took place on the 22nd & 23rd of October and the 1st ever Bangladesh Retail Awards 2021 also took place following the last day of the summit by honoring different organizations through 26 Winners & 14 Honorable Mentions in different categories. The exclusive 2-day virtual event was organized by Bangladesh Brand Forum, presented by Shwapno and powered by Apex, geared towards any business or organization involved in retail operations.
This year the prestigious conference traversed the retail spectrum from RMG to Food to Superstore to Home Décor. Due to the global pandemic, the world of Retail was poised with one question- what to do during this unprecedented time? Bangladesh Retail Congress wanted to delve into discussing these key challenges.
Shariful Islam, Founder and Managing Director, Bangladesh Brand Forum gave the opening speech of the ceremony by sharing the philosophy behind Bangladesh Retail Congress and stressed, “The pandemic has amplified different dimensions in the retail sector; and as we are gradually transitioning from that space we have developed a completely new need, where organized retail and organizations who offer last mile distribution are adapting with.” The two-day sessions were inaugurated by Mahadi Faisal, Head of Marketing, ACI Logistics Limited, and Rajan Pillai, Chief Executive Officer, Apex Footwear Ltd.
The 6th Bangladesh Retail Congress: Designing the Future of Retail hosted 5 intriguing Keynote sessions. The keynote speakers at the congress were: Dr. A. K. Enamul Haque, Professor, Dept. of Economics & Dean, Faculty of Business & Economics, East West University; Shweta Chopra, Shopper Lead, South Asia, Middle East & Africa, Nielsen; Daniel Hodges, Retail Technology Futurist, Founder & CEO, Retail Store Tours; Vach Pillutla, CEO, Al-Ikhsan Sports; Murali Prakash, Chairman, Ashnip Global Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka & Smaay Global Pty. Ltd., Australia.
The congress also had 4 astute panel discussions on topics related to the retail industry specifications. The panelists for the discussions were: Dr. Mohammed Tareque Aziz, Professor of Retailing, University of Asia Pacific; Sabbir Hasan Nasir, Executive Director, ACI Logistics Ltd. (Shwapno); Rajan Pillai, Chief Executive Officer, Apex Footwear Ltd., Yeamin Sharif Chowdhury, Director Operations, Transcom Electronics Ltd., Mohammad Ashraful Alam, Chief Operating Officer, BRAC-Aarong; Waiz Rahim, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Deligram; Sagnik Guha, General Manager – Marketing & Business Head, Ecommerce, Apex footwear Ltd.; Khandaker Ashik Iqbal, Vice President, Sales & Marketing (B2R) Sindabad.com; Munaf Mojib Chowdhury, Director, Client Leadership, ADA. Analytics. Data. Advertising – Bangladesh; Tanvir Hossain, General Manager E-commerce, Marketing and Sustainability, BRAC-Aarong; Zeeshan Kingshuk, Change-maker, CXO, Entrepreneur; Tajdin Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer, Daraz; Razib Jahan Ferdous, Assistance General Manager & Head of E-commerce Business, Bata Bangladesh Ltd.; Asikul Alam Khan, Chief Executive Officer, Priyoshop.com; Morin Talukder, Chief Executive Officer, Picakaboo.com.
The 6th edition of Bangladesh Retail Congress also featured 2 immersive Case Study sessions and 2 extensive Insight sessions.
6th Bangladesh Retail Congress: Designing the Future of Retail was followed by the first ever Bangladesh Retail Awards 2021. The coveted accolade recognized the organizations and initiatives modernizing retail in the digital era and honored retailers in 16 distinct categories. On its very first edition, the award received a staggering 100+ nominations from 40+ organizations. 4 panels of jurors, consisting of industry experts and leaders, after a rigorous jury process declared 26 Winners and 14 Honorable Mentions ranging from those who have best responded to changing consumer habits during unprecedented times by tailoring experiences to producing standout campaigns, and closing the gap between the physical and digital worlds. The Knowledge Partner of the award was Marketing Society of Bangladesh (MSB), PR partner Backpage PR, Technology Partner Aamra Technologies Ltd. Both the congress and the award event were an incredible success and received praise from the audiences as well as the retail community.
The 6th Bangladesh Retail Congress was organized by Bangladesh Brand Forum. The title partner of the event was Shwapno and was powered by Apex and in association with The Daily Star. The congress was supported by Sindabad.com Ltd., Sailor, Daraz and Fiona. Strategic Partners- World Retail Forum and Retail Store Tours; Knowledge Partner – Marketing Society of Bangladesh (MSB); Technology Partner – Aamra Technologies Ltd.; and PR Partner – Backpage PR.
