Happy Easter

Its been a hectic few weeks since my last post as we have announced the shortlist for this years Global RLI Awards, congratulations to all our finalists and I look forward to welcoming you to another successful night on the 14th June at the Natural History Museum London. If you would like to view the shortlist or learn more about this must attend event then log onto www.rli.uk.com and click onto Awards.

The Global Retail Forum at the Retail Technology Expo was a great success and there were some very thought provoking and informative sessions.

Last week I attended Retail Connections the exclusive event dedicated to retail property leasing for shopping centre owners/developers, retailers and agents and I have to say it gets better each year. The smart guys at Abercrombie & Fitch more than doubled their representation at Retail Connections this year. Apple boosted numbers to be ahead of the game. Foot Locker’s leasing team were on the starting blocks and H&M were raring to do business. Inditex even took the family.

Media Saturn tuned in and turned up. Primark were looking to add to its 232 stores in seven countries. River Island sailed in and The Sting were in the tail. Mind The Gap – they were there too, and Osprey had it in the bag.

Other Retailers included Claires, Crew, Debenhams, Deichmann, Desigual, The Disney Store, Douglas, Diva from Poland, Esprit, Fossil, Gold Buyers International, Hervis or Mango. This year's event also attracted Many small, entrepreneurial and exciting new retailers all ready and waiting to do business. Lets see what 2013 brings...

Well thats it for now, I'm off skiing in Italy with the family on Good Friday and then its off to Berlin for ICSC Europe...Dont forget to sign up for my roundtable discussion: ‘Mapping International Trends to stay one step ahead of the competition' Thursday, 19 April 2012 at 12:20 table number 12.

I'll see you there!

MIPIM...A Portfolio of Opportunities

Delegates gathered in Cannes from 6-9 March for the world’s leading international real estate show for professionals, and they did not leave disappointed. More than 19,000 delegates gathered at the Palais des Festivals to network, engage and learn more about building global opportunities in today’s market.

From Chongqing to Tokyo, via Downtown Doha, Paris, London and New York, delegations from 83 countries gathered at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes from 6-9 March to attend a MIPIM that concentrated on quality, low-risk investment opportunities, urban development and how the tight debt financing situation will impact the European market.

At the end of the day, the general feeling among the 19,300 delegates, including 4,200 investors, was that despite uncertainty over the availability of bank financing, prime cities and locations will continue to attract strong investor interest, with many cities using their low-risk potential as a selling point.

Germany is seen as being either an ‘attractive’ or ‘very attractive’ investment opportunity by the vast majority of international investors. Its economy has weathered the Eurozone crisis well and the real estate sector has proved its national and international expertise time and again. Germany and the Nordic countries will attract low-risk investors, London and Paris offer good medium-term growth and that companies looking for high returns could be interested in Russia and Turkey.

Among the new projects unveiled during MIPIM was the proposed Skolkovo innovation city in Russia which is promoting itself as a Silicon Valley equivalent. Set to welcome some 45,000 people and be completed by 2015, Skolkovo has been set a target of 50 per cent energy consumption coming from sustainable sources.

In the giant Krasnodar Region tent, delegates admired huge models of the Sochi Olympic Park, which includes a proposed Formula One race track and which stood alongside a mock-up of the 83ha Gorod Sporta multi-functional sports complex which includes a 50,000-seat soccer stadium.
Qatar may be one of the most active investors in the international real estate market with over 50 projects in 30 countries worth an estimated €30bn, but at MIPIM 2012 the Gulf state’s focus was firmly on sustainable urban development.

My Panel Session: 'Retail Global Expansion: A Portfolio of Opportunities', was a success and poised for some lively debate amongst the panelists, a big thank you to all those who took part. Here is a link to watch the session live: http://youtu.be/N2AQeBpkOR8?hd=1

MIPIM 2013 will take place in Cannes, March 12-15 and the Country of Honour is Turkey

I've not forgotten you...

Its been a hectic few weeks of travelling but Im happy to say I'm going to be on English soil for the next few weeks giving me plenty of time to catch my breath and start working on our Global RLI Awards, now that the eagerly awaited shortlist is revealed…I would like to congratulate all our finalists. On this note I am pleased to welcome Cumberland, Location Group & Aerium as our latest Sponsors, you can find out more about these and our other sponsors on our website. If you havn’t already booked your table at the world’s most premier networking event, do it before you miss out. We are also working with the BRC to bring you a Conference during the day on International Retailing and we have an impressive line up of speakers, check the RLI website for more details.

RLI will be at Retail Connections, London on the 28th March and ICSC Europe, Berlin 18-20th April so I look forward to seeing you there.

Check back on Monday for a review on this years MIPIM & Global Retail Forum

MIPIM & Global Retail Forum

Tomorrow is the start of a busy 2 weeks travel, first its off to sunny Cannes for this years MIPIM, I will be moderating my panel session this Wednesday, "Retail Global Expansion: A Portfolio of Opportunities" scheduled for 7th March from 10.00am to 11.00am in the Hoban Room, Palais des Festivals level 3, Panelists: Claude Dion, Senior Vice President, Asset management Europe, Ivanhoe Cambridge; Filipe Correia, Expansion Director, Parfois; Marc-Christian Riebe, President of location Group and Filipa Fernandes, Head of Research and Innovation, SES Spar European Shopping Centers...so if you are at MIPIM, feel free to come along, it would be great to catch up. If you would like to arrange a meeting during the event feel free to email me jayne.rafter@rli.uk.com

Next week I'm off to London for the Global Retail Forum 13-14 March, where I will be moderating another panel session, Business Management – International growth: the right strategy for your business, 13:00-14:00 Tuesday 13 March at the GRF Pavillion within the Retail Business Technology Expo, Earls Court, London. Panelists: Nigel Darwin, Managing Director International, New Look; Miles Young, General Manager, Landmark International; Marc Christian-Riebe, Founder of Location Group.

I will also be conducting a special On-The-Couch interview with Iain Burton, Founder of Aspinall from 14.00-14.30 the same day.

So once again please pop along...

A little insight into the event:

'The role of technology and business solutions are crucial enablers to successful efficiencies in a brands international growth. The GRF was founded to aid retailers in simplifying global retailing, so understanding the use of todays technology was integral to supporting the GRF mission statement. For this reason the GRF has partnered with Retail Business Technology Expo and Cards & Payments Solutions in March 2012 to offer our global industry colleagues an exceptional opportunity to come together in probably one of the best cities in the world - London, to network and talk about the opportunities, issues and challenges that retailers face in today's economic climate.'
Mark Eve, Chairman of Global Retail Forum

Cairo... Today's Opportunity, Tomorrow's Potential

Hi Everyone, its been a couple of weeks since my last blog as I took a few days vacation with the family in Sharm El Sheikh at the Luxury Cleopatra Resort before flying to Cairo for the inaugural Cityscape Egypt. It was good to spend a few days relaxing with the boys in Sharm albeit a lot colder than I would have liked, that said the hotel was great, the staff were friendly and couldn't do enough for you...so a big thankyou to Cleopatra for their kind hospitality.

It was my first time in Cairo so I wasn't sure what to expect given the current socio-political situation, and friends and family saying I must be mad to travel there at this time. I can honestly say that I didn't even see a hint of trouble - everyone was courteous and again went out of their way to help. I think people's perceptions of what's happening are misguided to some extent by what they read in the newspapers and watch on the television! The best solution is to see for yourself and make your own judgement and don't believe everything you read. I'm not saying that there isn't danger but isn't there an element of danger wherever you go, even in London?

Enough of my soapbox rant...

I stayed at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel in Cairo, a luxurious hotel and a far cry from some of the poverty stricken areas I passed en route to the Conference.

Cityscape Egypt was well attended and had an array of exhibitors showcasing their proposed developments including Cleopatra Mall, Cairo Festival City, City Stars, Sodic, Porto World, TMG Holding to name but a few, and it was clear that Cairo is one of the hottest real estate markets with an impressive number of projects in the pipeline or currently under construction.

One of the highlights of my trip has to be my early morning visit to the Pyramids, accompanied by a colleague, Rupert Jaeger from Design International, we toured the pyramids in a horse and cart in complete business attire, we must have looked ridiculous to the other tourists...but then again, we were on our way to the Conference. I even sat on a camel which was really scary and climbed deep into a tomb in my Gucci shoes...not the easiest of tasks but I made it!

I attended the Retail City Conference with thought provoking sessions on the market and its huge potential for the future. I interviewed Alex Cara, VP & Head of Global Partnerships, Esprit for our April issue, a great guy with a wealth of experience having worked for many leading retailers. I also interviewed one of the most powerful men in Egypt, Mr Mohammed Abou El Enein, Owner of the Cleopatra Group about his forthcoming project Cleopatra Mall which is about to restart construction and is due for completion summer 2014.

Before leaving Cairo I had to visit the much talked about and award-winning shopping centre Citystars and I was not disappointed. The retail mix was second to none, with every conceivable brand you could think of. During the Retail City Conference I asked Mohamed Abo-Al Yazid, MD, Citystars how they would maintain footfall and stay ahead of the competition bearing in mind the many new innovative destination malls coming to fruition over the next few years... but after seeing the centre and hearing about their future plans I don't think they have anything to worry about.

International Retailing 2012: Opportunity Assessment and Strategy Development for Expanding into New Markets

RLI is delighted to announce its partnership with the British Retail Consortium for the inaugural BRC International Retailing Conference 2012 on the 14th June. To be held in association with Retail & Leisure International (the world's only global retail & Leisure magazine) the event, which will be attended by 150+ retail directors, will bring together industry leaders for a day to discuss the complexities and opportunities of international development facing the sector.

Presentations and discussions throughout the day will deliver key insights into potential growth markets, local economies and strategies for operating UK retailers’ business internationally.

The Conference will culminate with an evening of entertainment and global recognition at the prestigious Global RLI Awards, to be held once again at the Natural History Museum, London.

What is International Retailing 2012?
As the UK economy remains challenged, effective international expansion strategies are increasingly seen as a source of new growth for retailers and are subsequently moving to the top of their priority agendas.

International Retailing 2012 is a brand new, one day conference designed to provide discussions around both the opportunities and complexities of internationalisation and key insights into potential growth markets, local economies and strategies for operating UK retailers’ business internationally.

Key topics will include:
• Are international expansion strategies a realistic way to buoy a dwindling UK business?
• Key insights into potential growth markets•
• Evaluating the best model to fit your business to maximise your growth potential
• Creating a comprehensive business plan that stipulates time frames and expectations
• Understanding the financial and legislative implications of trading overseas

The 2012 Speaker Faculty Includes:
Those invited to join our speaker faculty are the international and global directors from major retail brands including Tesco, Harvey Nicholls, Esprit, Hamleys, ASOS, TM Lewin, Disney Store, Kingfisher, Mothercare and Ikea. At this very early stage we already have the following confirmed to address our audience:

• Stuart Binnie, Chairman, Aurora Fashions
• Richard Aquilina, International Franchise Director, Boux Avenue
• Francis McAuley, International Director, Debenhams
• Howard Saunders, Co-Founder, Echochamber
• Lorenzo Moretti, Senior VP, International Operations and Business Development, Gap

What Our Delegates Say
The quality of BRC events is well demonstrated by 100% of event feedback responders in 2011 saying they would attend our events again and that they would recommend BRC events to their colleagues. Testimonials included:

“Superb line-up! Genuine debate, insight and interaction. Excellent value and highly recommended! See you next year!”

“Pound for pound the best value in retail - real insight from the people at the top of UK retail. Small enough to be intimate but big enough to get the best names speaking honestly.”

“Great line up of influential speakers”

““The BRC provide the perfect conference- speakers of the highest quality, great location, good quality delegates, all in just one day out of the office”

“Excellent event, brilliant variety of speakers, all engaging and thought provoking. Thoroughly enjoyed it - a good use of my day!”

“I learned a lot from today and will certainly bring many ideas back home to help our organisation.”
“It was a tremendously well supported day – I could hardly get a seat in the morning!”

“Way above my expectations - so much more in 1 day than in 2 days of other industry events”
“Very informative, entertaining and a fantastic networking opportunity”

“You deserve a medal for putting together a very memorable conference - well done!”

“The speakers were so insightful and they were a joy to listen to.”

“I have to say the content was very stimulating and one of the best events I’ve attended. I look forward to attending next year too!”

“An engaging conference which offers an insight to the future of retailing”

“Excellent insight, good speakers and a well organised event. Key for anyone involved in retail”

For more information on the Conference please visit www.brcevents.com or www.rli.uk.com for information on the Global RLI Awards...special discount available for those wishing to attend both.

My Travels begin...

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I haven't posted anything for the last two weeks but its been hectic in the office trying to get our March issue to print early for the Delegate bags at MIPIM, Cannes.

I thought I would update you on my whereabouts for the next few weeks...so here goes!

In February I will be flying to Cairo for Cityscape Egypt & Retail City, 20-23 February where I'm looking forward to catching up with friends and colleagues. I intend to do a bit of sightseeing as it's my first trip to Cairo, I'm hoping to visit City Stars Cairo, one of the city's main shopping centres, take a look at the construction of Cairo Festival City, which won our 'Future Project of the Year' Award two years ago, and any other interesting projects that come to light.

From Cairo to Cannes

Following on from Cairo I will be flying to Cannes for this year's, much anticipated, MIPIM, 6-9 March, where I am moderating a panel session, ‘Retail Global Expansion: A Portfolio of Opportunities’, on Wednesday 7th at 10.00am, two of my panelists include Filipe Correia, Expansion Director, Parfois (global accessories retailer from Portugal) and Marc-Christian Riebe, Executive President & Founder of Location Group. Within the session we will take a look at the following:

Whilst Retailers are facing stiff competition from new international players entering their home market, what must they do to stay one step ahead of the competition?

Is now a good time for retailers to invest in a global expansion strategy or should they wait for economic conditions to measurably improve?

What are Developers doing to entice international retailers?

Ready… or not? What preparations can retailers do to lay the foundations for greater and faster success to enable them to position themselves as early movers rather than as followers competing for market share?

What are the challenges and opportunities for global expansion?

As principal Media Partner for MIPIM, RLI will be in all Delegate bags, in the official hotels and on the press racks in the Palais Des Festivals...so make sure you pick up your copy.

The week after Cannes I will be in London for another speaking opportunity, this time for the Global Retail Forum which has a pavillion at the Retail Business Technology Expo in Earls Court 13-14 March. My session titled, 'International growth: the right strategy for your business', will look at:

• Market selection i.e. how do you prioritise the appropriate international markets for your business.
• Entry mode i.e. how do you decide to go acquisition, owned, JV, franchise or wholesale
• Partnership selection i.e. how do you choose the right partner

A little bit about about the Global Retail Forum

This is a Retailer-only Forum founded and headed by Mark Eve, Head of International Partnerships at New Look Retailers Ltd.

How would you like to glean decent intelligence on new markets, trading practices, market legals and impartial advice on partners, suppliers and the array of other essential items that are needed to successfully trade your business in new overseas markets...then read on!

Global Retail Forum (GRF) is one of the biggest Global Retail professional networks for senior retailers, and its members are from almost every country in the world. GRF connects you to like minded contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a much broader network of retail professionals. Whether you’re looking for a career opportunity or building your professional reputation, GRF connects you to jobs, sales leads and ideal business partners. With our powerful web forum, research tools and regular physical meetings in countries around the world, GRF is the place to turn for knowledge and opportunity. Best of all it is FREE to join.

If you are a Retailer and would like to find out more about GRF visit www.globalretailforum.com or their group on Linkedin.