Post show release: 5th Retail Fulfilment Summit

During the three days of the 5th Retail Fulfilment Summit which kicked of Australia’s inaugural Retail Week, more than 700 retailers from across Australia and New Zealand came together to be inspired. More than 60 pioneering speakers shared their stories on how to transform 360° fulfilment in the on demand era.

Highlights of the Program

Opened by The Hon. Ben Carroll, MP Minister for Industry and Employment, Day 1 was focused on c-suite leadership. It covered critical strategic issues facing retailers today such as cross boarder expansion, the Asian opportunity, and leading the workforce of the future. On Day 2, opening international speaker, Sterling Hawkins (Retail Visionary & Co- Founder, Centre for Advancing Retail & Technology, USA) wowed the audience with dancing robots. The activity included insights into the new realm of tech-powered retail fulfilment. What followed across 4 streams of content was a series of engaging presentations and interactive discussions from the likes of Rick Woods (General Manager, Costco), Belinda Hay (Trade Start & Project Lead Ecommerce, AUSTRADE) and Renee Gamble (Industry Lead Retail Technology, Google). Lastly, a candid and insightful discussion from Brittain Ladd (Former Global Head of Expansion, Amazon USA) on Amazon and the future of retail, closed what was a content rich day.

Retail Fulfilment Awards Night

Following day 2 of the fulfilment summit, Akolade hosted a first of its kind Retail Fulfilment Awards night for the sector. The awards recognised excellence across all areas of fulfilment and was judged by Andy Powel (Managing Director, Agile Commerce Consulting), Paul Greenberg (Chief Operating Officer, NORA), Luke Jecks (Chief Executive Officer, Naked Wines), Rick Woods (General Manager, Costco), Anna Forster (General Manager Operations, Lux Group), Jane Lu (Chief Executive Officer, Showpo), Sterling Hawkins (Founder, Centre for Advancing Retail and Technology USA), Erica Berchtold (Managing Director Rebel & Amart Sport GX Cycles) and Michael Donnath (Country Head IKEA).

With so many incredible submissions, the judging panel had a tough role. However, the winners were agreed upon by all. The following were the winning brands:

Coles Liquor (Excellence in Best Store Based Fulfilment)

BWS (Best Online Fulfilment Initiative)

Showpo (Excellence in International Fulfilment)

OzSale with Seko Omni Channel Logistics (Best 3PL Retailer Collaboration)

Shippit (Best Fulfilment Technology)

The Nile (Best Smaller Retailer)

Sendle (Best Disrupter)

Williams Fashion Logistics (Best Fulfilment 3PL of the Year)

Winning Group / Winning Services (Retail Fulfilment Retailer of the Year).

Final Day Highlights

The final day of the event was kicked off by international speaker Bruce Harryman (Head of Network Planning, John Lewis, UK) who inspired and amazed the audience with the scale of John Lewis’ supply chain operations. This was followed by engaging presentations from Margaret Bosworth (Head of Marketing, Sealed Air Corporation) and John O’Loghlen (Director, Australia & New Zealand, Alibaba Group). Lastly, Martin Smith (Managing Director, Endeavour Drinks Group) wrapped up with his insights on the evolving expectations of consumers.

The summit provided an unparalleled opportunity for networking and benchmarking. It inspired action which left the delegates with a sense of empowerment. Next year, the Retail Fulfilment Show and Awards will be returning bigger and better than ever at a new location – the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Furthermore, due to our genuine commitment to diversity, we will be working closely with industry leaders to continue to boost female participation. We highly encourage women in fulfilment with stories to tell to please reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you now!

It’s been a fantastic week in Melbourne. We very much look forward to welcoming everyone back to next year.

Still interested? Stay tuned for information on upcoming conferences and summits by following us on Akolade Retail Learning.