RAI ‘CHENNAI RETAIL SUMMIT 2019’ LAYS EMPHASIS ON SUSTAINABLE GROWTH FOR THE INDIAN RETAIL INDUSTRY

• Held on August 8, 2019, at the Hotel ITC Grand Chola, Chennai, the summit revolved around the central theme ‘Facing Forward: New Strategies for Sustainable Growth’.
• Veteran Actor Kamal Haasan graced the ‘Retail Excellence Awards 2019’ function, a part of Chennai Retail Summit, as the Guest of Honour.

August 8, 2019, Chennai: The Retailers Association of India(RAI) brought together Indian retail stalwarts at its Chennai Retail Summit2019 (CRS 2019) to have a common dialogue on mastering the balance between the many elements that affect the growth of a retail business. The summit was held on August 8, 2019 at the Hotel ITC Grand Chola, Chennai.

Addressing the retail fraternity at the summit Shri.Kumar Rajagopalan, Chief Executive Officer, Retailers Association of India, accentuated on the central theme of the summit ‘Facing Forward: New Strategies for Sustainable Growth.’ 

(L to R) Kumar Rajagopalan, Chief Executive Officer, Retailers Association of India,  RakeshBiyani, Joint Managing Director, Future Retail Limited

 “The future undoubtedly belongs to businesses that are able to achieve sustainable growth, which involves achieving a fine balance between short-term and long-term growth. It requires retailers to be able to expertly balance multiple facets such as customer centricity, good people practices, viable business model, technology adoption, societal and environmental impact and financial discipline. Disproportionate emphasis on any one could lead to the entire cookie to crumble. The Chennai Retail Summit 2019 brought together retail stalwarts on a common platform to devise new tricks that retailers could use to master the art of jugglery that is sustainable growth in retail,” said the RAI CEO Kumar Rajagopalan.

The retail stalwarts, present at the summit, emphasised on the necessity of carving out sustainable growth strategies to move the needle forward. 

A special address by Shri B S Nagesh, Chairman RAI; Founder – TRRAIN; Chairman - Shoppers Stop Ltd., set a vibrant tone for the day, which consisted of insightful presentations and panel discussions. Some of the topics discussed included:

• Facing Forward: New Strategies for Sustainable Growth
• Magic Ingredients of Great Customer Experience

The highlight of the day was an in-depth conversation between Shri. RakeshBiyani, Joint Managing Director, Future Retail Limited with Shri.Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, Retailers Association of India (RAI), and a motivational talk by Annadurai, an Autorickshaw Driver and a much sought-after speaker on ‘building customer loyalty’.

Captivating the audience were insightful special addresses by the industry leaders such as Mr.A. D. Padmasingh Isaac - Chairman & MD, Aachi Masala (Aachi Group of Companies), Mr. Kiran Reddy, Chairman, SPI Cinemas (SPI Group Private Ltd), Mr.I.S.A.K.Nazar -Chairman, Founder & CEO, Manna Food Products (Southern Health Foods Products Pvt Ltd), Mr.V. R. Muthu, Chairman, IDHAYAM Oil (V.V.V. & Sons Edible Oils Limited.)

Riveting panel discussions and round-table discussions throughout the day touched upon various aspects of the central theme.  The discussions saw participation of retail leaders such as B A Srinivaasan - Jt. Managing Director & CEO, Vivek Pvt. Ltd.; K Radhakrishnan - CEO, StarQuik (TATA Group);Lalit Agarwal - CMD, V-Mart Retail Ltd.; Lavanya Nalli - Vice Chairperson, Nalli Group;L Subhash Chandra - Managing Director, Sangeetha Mobiles Pvt. Ltd.

“Chennai Retail Summit is in its 10th year and is the one day that the entire South retail fraternity looks forward to. We have in excess of 1,000 members in the South India alone who look forward to meeting and networking every year at CRS. This year, we had an excellent line up of speakers addressing the audience and the was very relevant to retailers,” said Suhail Sattar, Director - Hasbro Clothing Pvt. Ltd.& Chairman of Retailers Association of India - Chennai Chapter.

The day culminated into a glitzy award function of the prestigious ‘Retail Excellence Awards 2019’, that recognized outstanding talent in the retail industry and celebrated their exemplary work. The award function was graced by Veteran Actor and Padma Bhushan recipient Kamal Haasan as the Guest of Honour.

Over the years, ‘Chennai Retail Summit’ (CRS) has proven to be the premier platform for retail professionals in South India to gain knowledge, network with peers, potential partners and industry leaders.

About Chennai Retail Summit (CRS):

Organised by Retailers Association of India, the Chennai Retail Summit is considered one of the best platforms in the region for retail leaders and executives to engage in lucid and focused dialogue about retail trends and issues with their industry friends and service providers in a vibrant environment.

About Retailers Association of India:

Retailers Association of India (RAI) is the unified voice of Indian retailers. RAI works with all the stakeholders for creating the right environment for the growth of the modern retail industry in India. It is a strong advocate for retailing in India and works with all levels of government and stakeholders with the aim to support employment growth and career opportunities in retail, to promote and sustain retail investments in communities from coast-to-coast, and to enhance consumer choice and industry competitiveness.