| 08:45 | Registration and refreshments |
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| 09:15 | Chairman’s opening address Tim Danaher, Editor Retail Week |
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| 09:30 | Tougher times: Sustaining growth in a slower economic climate -
Expanding your core business -
Maximising your product offering to appeal to your target market -
Defending market share in competitive market -
Maintaining brand loyalty in an increasingly competitive economy -
Encouraging discretionary spend Rhys Iley, Director Boots Ireland |
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| 10:00 | Economic outlook: What does the future hold for the Irish retail industry? -
Are we talking ourselves into a recession or is the market slowing? -
Exploring changing consumer attitudes to discretionary spending -
Examining the impact of the end of the SSIA Scheme -
Identifying the opportunities and potential impact of the growth of credit -
Predicting the winners and losers in the race for market share Eunan King, Economist NCB |
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| 10:30 | |
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| 11:00 | Expanding outside of Ireland: Managing and maintaining growth in a new territory -
Expanding out of Ireland: How do you choose your territory? -
Engaging with new and diverse customers -
Refocusing your brand proposition to appeal to your new market -
Examining management structure: Delivering the right team to push forward your expansion Eoin McGettigan, CEO Lifestyle Sports |
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| 11:30 | Utilising your differences to entice and engage the consumer: Differentiating your product offering to drive sales -
The need to differentiate in a competitive market -
Thinking differently about your aspirations and customers -
Using differentiation to develop a strong brand identity -
Assessing the Irish market: Identifying the challenges and opportunities for new and current retailers Malachy Hanberry, Sales Director BWG Spar |
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| 12:00 | Putting the Irish retail markets into perspective -
What products are currently the "Winners and Losers"? -
How does the Irish retail market compare to the rest of Europe? -
Where will the future growth come from? -
What is the true cost of new technology, and who is the winner? Anthony Norman, Business Group Director GfK |
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| 12:30 | |
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| 13:30 | PANEL DISCUSSION Who will be the winners and losers in the retail market in 2008? -
Is it necessary to change your business model? -
What is the best way to run your business in this changing market? -
Will all areas of the market be impacted by the slowdown? Gina Quinn, CEO Dublin Chamber of Commerce Nigel Blow, CEO Brown Thomas Torlach Denihan, Director, Retail Ireland IBEC James McDonald, Head of Contactless Payments Barclaycard Business |
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| 14:15 | Customer-Carrier-Customer – working together to create customer satisfaction in the new internet age -
Gaining an insight into the complexities of the Customer-Carrier-Customer relationships and how the internet has redefined them -
Discovering the importance of defining communication boundaries between Customer-Carrier-Customer relationships -
Identifying how the Customer-Carrier-Customer relationship can be satisfied in the new internet age Walter Blackwood, Chairman Home Delivery Network |
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| 14:45 | Question and answer session |
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| 15:00 | |
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| 15:30 | Getting closer to your customer: Overcoming the challenges of developing customer insight in a changing population -
Driving profitability through meeting the needs of a diverse consumer -
Examining the key economic and macro-economic groups within the Irish population -
Identifying the key population centres with consumer spending power -
Addressing the potential impact of immigration on consumer trends -
Identifying current consumer trends Colin Gordon, CEO Glanbia Consumer Foods |
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| 16:00 | Building a world class retail sales & service culture -
Understanding the mindset of companies that deliver ‘World Class’ sales and service -
Creating a customer journey that delivers the ‘wow’ factor -
Identifying and documenting your existing ‘Best in Class’ skills and behaviours -
Establishing your non negotiable sales and service standards -
Upskilling your employees on the ‘Best in Class’ skills and behaviours -
Performance coaching to sustain the increased sales and service performance Dennis Reid, Chairman RPS Global |
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| 16:30 | The human side of retail: Delivering growth through your people -
The challenges of attracting the right people to deliver your brand message -
Overcoming legislative challenges and working with the unions -
Fostering employee engagement to motivate and retain effective staff Mike McGinty, HR Director Boots Ireland |
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| 17:00 | Question and answer session |
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| 17:15 | Chair’s closing remarks and close of conference |
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