Retail conference offers diversified perspectivesThe second SA Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) Research Conference taking place on 14 March 2012 at Hilton Sandton, will offer not only top international speakers but also a blind man's perspective on shopping. This year the conference is themed 'Surviving and thriving in the future'. It brings the complex relationship between retailers and consumers into the spotlight, with its knowledgeable programme of speakers facilitating a better understanding of consumers. SpeakersSACSC research committee chairman and research conference chairman, Dr Dirk Prinsloo, explains that retail success takes a combination of research, innovation and intuition. "The conference highlights research to enable conference-goers to better understand the market in which shopping centres and retailers operate," says Prinsloo. "We hope that this knowledge will also inspire retail innovation." Natalie Berg from Planet Retail in the UK will provide a global perspective on key retail trends and what may affect South Africa in the future. Berg points to private label, multi-channel and customer endorsement as key trends to watch. Colin Buxton of Toolbox Marketing, in the UK and Europe, will discuss how on the fittest retailers survive, even with multi-channel retailing and marketing. Professor John Simpson of UCT Unilever Institute will bring South Africa's most affluent consumers into the spotlight to achieve a greater understanding of the top-end consumer market. Drawing from his own experiences, retired retailer Brand Pretorius will look at ways of surviving and thriving in tough times - a topic which will resonate with many retailers in the current challenging economic climate. For more information, go to www.sacsc.co.za. |