Taking place the day after the historic Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore, the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit kicked off at the city’s magnificent Marina Bay Sands on Wednesday, with the theme 'Consumer Centricity in a Data-Driven World'.
The opening day focused largely on the increasingly important role that Asia is playing in setting the global retail and consumer goods agenda.
Presentations from Seah Kian Peng, CEO of NTUC FairPrice, the leading retailer in Singapore, Chia Song Hwee, president and COO of Temasek, an investment company headquartered in the city-state, and S. Iswaran, Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry, among others, featured on the first day.
#NTUCFairPrice CEO SEAH Kian Peng gives a heads up on the Evolution of #Retail for the #SmartConsumer introducing #NTUC #SeniorFriendly Stores #FoodWaste reduction campaigns & #Waste Practices @ #CGFSummit pic.twitter.com/d169GL0srx
— Consumer Goods Forum (@CGF_The_Forum) June 13, 2018
Efficient Operations
In his presentation, Seah highlighted the unique challenges of operating a successful retail business in the region, encouraging those present to develop more efficient retailer operations, converging the online and offline worlds, as well as building partnerships with other businesses, such as FairPrice’s relationship with Tesco.
Temasek’s Chia examined how technology has changed what consumers value, and companies can create new ways of doing business with technology – a point that was also raised by Anthony Tan, co-founder and CEO of Grab, the leading ride-hailing group in South-East Asia, who examined a world in which consumers “do everything” on their phones.
Towards the end of the day, Guy Ryder, director general of the International Labour Organization, urged the industry to find a way to get together and design a future of work that people can trust and that will bring something positive for the business community.
Wonderful location for the opening cocktail reception at @CGF_The_Forum Global Summit @CocaCola @marinabaysands pic.twitter.com/B48wjzZ2sc
— ESM Magazine (@esm_magazine) June 13, 2018
The first day closed with a cocktail reception hosted by Coca-Cola, which featured a distinct football theme, given that World Cup 2018 kicks off in Russia on Thursday.
Before that, though, it’s over to Day Two of the Summit, which will welcome presentations from Coca-Cola, Alibaba, JD.com, Carrefour, Central Food Retail, Transmart, Procter & Gamble, and many others.
ESM is an official media partner for the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit. Keep an eye on www.esmmagazine.com and our social-media channels for updates from the event.
Roll on Day Two! @CGF_The_Forum #GlobalSummit @marinabaysands pic.twitter.com/iGYmOsOfjz
— ESM Magazine (@esm_magazine) June 13, 2018
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
