To develop skills and knowledge within retail professionals, Bangladesh Brand Forum has organized Bangladesh Retail Congress 2018. Around 350 professionals attended the congress which took place at the Grand Ballroom of Hotel Le Méridien, Dhaka. This year, Bangladesh Retail Congress was presented by Shwapno and powered by Lotto. The theme of the initiative for this year has been “Shaping Modern Retail in Bangladesh”.
Inaugurating the congress Mr. Sohel Tanvir Khan, Business Director, ACI Logistics Ltd. (Shwapno) said, “To ensure the growth and development of Bangladesh Retail Industry we all need to work together. The industry requires all of our undivided attention.”
Also spoke on the occasion Mr Shariful Islam, Founder & Managing Director, Bangladesh Brand Forum. He stressed, “Retail Congress as a platform is designed to assist the organized retail sector of Bangladesh through skill development, knowledge sharing, technology adoption and strategic direction for reinvention of the sector in the Digital Era.”
Eminent corporate personalities from and beyond the boundary were brought together to discuss on insightful issues. There were 3 Keynote sessions, 4 Panel discussions, 2 Insight Sessions & 1 Case Study Presentation. Topics like next step of product marketing, retail strategy breakout, online to offline retail disruption, retail evolution in digital era, customer experience etc. were discussed throughout the event.
Renowned professionals who presented keynote sessions were – Arijit Chakraborti, Partner, PWC; Diptanshu Ray, Market Leader, South Asia East, Nielsen; and Prachi Tiwari, Engagement Director, Landor. Topics of the keynotes were – Technological Advancements & The Future of Shopping, What’s Next in Modern Retail, and Store Design & Customer Satisfaction.
The panel discussion sessions were conducted on Next Step in Marketing Your Products, Breakout Retail Strategy, Evolution of Retail in Digital Era, and Next Step on Customer Experience. There were insight sessions covering Service in Retail and Retail Disruption – Online to Offline (O2O) Channel & Fintech. Moreover, the case study presentation session presented Emerging Retail Associate with Positive Health & Wellness Impact.
Following are the takeaways from the four panel discussions.
The discussants were – Sabbir Hasan Nasir, Executive Director, ACI Logistics Limited (Shwapno); Zeeshan Kingshuk Huq, Co-Founder & CEO, Kiksha.com; Shehryar Burney, Executive Director, Yellow; Nazmul Karim Chowdhury, SVP & Head of Brand, The City Bank Limited; Ashraful Alam, COO, Aarong; Rezaul Kabir, COO, Sailor; Rajan Pillai, CEO, Apex Footwear Limited; Arafatur Rahman, Head of Marketing, RFL Plastics; Sumble Momen, Director, Pride Group; Dr. Md. Tareque Aziz, Dean, CBA, IUBAT; Samiha Hossain, Brand Manager, CSQE; Sabbir Rahman Tanim, Managing Director, Tasty Tibet; Ashraf Bin Taj, President, Marketing Society of Bangladesh; Yeamin Sharif, Director, Transcom Electronics; Syed Tahmid Zaman, Director (Marketing), Best Electronics Limited; Rezwanul Hoque, Chief Executive Officer, Transsion Bangladesh Limited; Gazi Yar Mohammad, EVP & Head of Innovation, One Bank Limited; Waseem Alim, Co-Founder & CEO, Chaldal.com; and Shaheen Khan, CEO, Meena Bazar.
An initiative of Bangladesh Brand Forum, Bangladesh Retail Congress was presented by Shwapno and powered by Lotto; in association with – Sailor, Unimart & Transcom Digital; Event Partner – Le Méridien, Dhaka; Strategic Partner – The Daily Star; Knowledge Partner – MSB; PR Partner – Masthead PR; Radio Partner- Radio Today.
