16 March 2018

Post show release: 5th Retail Fulfilment Summit

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During the three days of the 5th Retail Fulfilment Summit which kicked of Australia’s inaugural Retail Week, more than 700 retailers from across Australia and New Zealand came together to be inspired by the 60+ pioneering speakers, who shared their stories on how to transform 360° fulfilment in the on demand era.

Opened by The Hon. Ben Carroll MP Minister for Industry and Employment, day 1 was focused on c-suite leadership and covered critical strategic issues facing retailers today such as cross boarder expansion, the Asian opportunity and leading the workforce of the future.  On day 2, opening international speaker, Sterling Hawkins (Retail Visionary & Co- Founder, Centre for Advancing Retail & Technology, USA) wowed the audience with dancing robots and insights into the new realm of technology powered retail fulfilment. What followed across 4 streams of content was a series of engaging presentations and interactive discussions from the likes of Rick Woods (General Manager, Costco), Belinda Hay (Trade Start & Project Lead Ecommerce, AUSTRADE) and Renee Gamble (Industry Lead Retail Technology, Google) to name a few. Lastly, a candid and insightful discussion from Brittain Ladd (Former Global Head of Expansion, Amazon USA) on Amazon and the future of retail, closed what was a content rich day.

Following day 2 of the fulfilment summit, Akolade hosted a first of its kind Retail Fulfilment Awards night for the sector. The awards recognised excellence across all areas of fulfilment and was judged by Andy Powel (Managing Director, Agile Commerce Consulting), Paul Greenberg (Chief Operating Officer, NORA), Luke Jecks (Chief Executive Officer, Naked Wines), Rick Woods (General Manager, Costco), Anna Forster (General Manager Operations, Lux Group), Jane Lu (Chief Executive Officer, Showpo), Sterling Hawkins (Founder, Centre for Advancing Retail and Technology USA), Erica Berchtold (Managing Director Rebel & Amart Sport GX Cycles) and Michael Donnath (Country Head IKEA).

With so many incredible submissions, the judging panel had a tough role, however the winners were agreed upon by all; Coles Liquor (Excellence in Best Store Based Fulfilment), BWS (Best Online Fulfilment Initiative), Showpo (Excellence in International Fulfilment), OzSale with Seko Omni Channel Logistics (Best 3PL Retailer Collaboration), Shippit (Best Fulfilment Technology), The Nile (Best Smaller Retailer), Sendle (Best Disrupter), Williams Fashion Logistics (Best Fulfilment 3PL of the Year) and Winning Group / Winning Services (Retail Fulfilment Retailer of the Year).

The final day of the event was kicked off by international speaker Bruce Harryman (Head of Network Planning, John Lewis, UK) who inspired and amazed the audience with the scale of John Lewis’ supply chain operations. This was followed by engaging presentations from Margaret Bosworth (Head of Marketing, Sealed Air Corporation) and John O'Loghlen (Director, Australia & New Zealand, Alibaba Group). Lastly, Martin Smith (Managing Director, Endeavour Drinks Group) wrapped up with his insights on the evolving expectations of consumers.

The summit provided an unparalleled opportunity for networking, benchmarking and inspired action-delegates leaving with a sense of empowerment. Next year, the Retail Fulfilment Show and Awards will be returning bigger and better than ever at a new location - the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Furthermore, due to our genuine commitment to diversity, we will be working closely with industry leaders to continue to boost female participation and would encourage woman in fulfilment with story to tell to please reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you now!

It’s been a fantastic week in Melbourne and we very much look forward to welcoming everyone back to next year.

Service:
Akolade
P: +61 02 9247 6000
For partnership enquiries, please contact marketing@akolade.com.au

Written by: Luana Clarke 

From a young age Luana wanted to become a teacher. She would line up her teddies in a row and teach them for hours on end. However, she eventually grew tired of their nonchalance and has ended up leading a team of producers instead- which she finds far more fulfilling and stimulating!  

Luana comes from an experienced production and management background. She has produced and topic generated events across Asia and Australia. 

Luana enjoys learning about emerging trends and drivers for change and loves the notion of the 'butterfly effect'- that change can start small but grow immeasurably through a ripple effect.













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