The retail organism: Futures Forum explores the big commercial picture

London – Little-box retail, urban kiosks and showroom super-hubs were hot topics of conversation at yesterday’s Retail Futures Forum at Shoreditch’s Rich Mix cinema.

Delegates from the worlds of fashion, communications, technology, advertising and luxury converged on London’s east end where LS:N Global’s editorial team and a host of distinguished guest speakers explored the trends and tribes that will shape retail over the next 3–5 years.

Alex Gledhill, global account director for Tesco at Intel, discussed integrating native smart devices in retail spaces. Ross Bailey, CEO and founder of Appear Here, introduced his online marketplace for short-term rental spaces. Ana Andjelic, digital business consultant, explained how to deliver brand identity through retail experience, and José de Cabo, co-founder of Olapic, talked about sourcing authentic user-generated content that turns consumers into brand ambassadors.

On a day that merged insights and trends with an experiential dining experience from food design partners Blanch & Shock, guests were taken on a whirlwind tour of Experiential Retail 2.0, Total Retail, US Masstige and the ethical retail worlds of Tasteful Waste and Whole-chain Thinking before departing with their freshly minted copies of our extensive Retail Futures report.

For more information about our Spring/Summer 2015 Trend Briefing, The Age of the Long Near, contact Alena Joyette.