Paris Retail Week unveils its theme for 2023 “Back to Basics: common sense vs paradoxes”

A meeting point for major brands and retailers, exchanges of ideas and new innovations, Paris Retail Week highlights the main challenges faced by the industry and showcases the main thinkers to take part in this 9^th edition of the event scheduled for 19^th-21^st September 2023 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles – Pavillon 4. 

Paris Retail Week will bring together close to 20,000 retail professionals via a series of conferences, workshops, pitches, awards ceremonies, and Innovation & Store Tours. The release of new innovations will provide answers to emerging challenges faced by retailers and e-traders as well as providing the most appropriate solutions.  

“Back to Basics: making common sense out of contradiction”, the common thread to  the latest edition 

While e-commerce may have enjoyed a boom with the onset of Covid-19, nothing truly replaces the position occupied by physical business within the retail landscape. In this context, the omni-channel approach has become a no-brainer for industry representatives keen to remove all  barriers and optimise the complementarity of e-commerce and physical points of sale. 

Client expectations have changed, consumers are well informed, and the client experience needs to be optimised in order to follow suit. It is therefore necessary for brands to identify the various touchpoints along the client journey to establish a link with their consumers and instil confidence.  

Whilst AI is developing apace with the emergence of CHAT GPT and the metaverse is  revolutionising the sector ever more, the human element maintains a key position.  

On the other hand, Havas/Paris Retail Week underlines the conflicting aspirations of user-friendly consumption versus environmental awareness. Consumers find themselves torn between the desire to consume more responsibly and their wallet. In this world shaken by contradictory forces, between second-hand and fast-fashion, retailers must choose the right strategy to make their mark or survive: how best can they re-think their business by switching from a linear growth model to a circular one? What is the best approach to offering Made in France products whilst still developing abroad? How best to stand out from rival brands by offering a particular  DNA and a lasting promise? How best to restore common sense and go back to basics?  

“Faced with consumers who act as permanent arbiters and conflicting forces, it has become very difficult for retailers to position themselves. Even though omni-channel is no longer an option but a necessity, the crucial questions remain concerning how to position online and offline activities,  an eco-responsible strategy, the right marketing mix, and the ability to deliver a genuine brand guarantee. For this 9^th edition we will provide all the keys to support professionals having to deal with all these contradictions”, underlines Arnaud Gallet, Director of Paris Retail Week. 

An array of Paris Retail Week mentors will be heading the 2023 series of conferences  to provide answers to these burning issues: 

Emma RECCO, Executive Director – IKEA France 

OMNICHANNEL COMMERCE MENTOR 

Within IKEA, Emma is in charge of strategy and business development, she’s also a member of the executive committee and holder of a CEO mandate. 

Having experienced several professional lives in the same company, she has been able to navigate through previous experiences in areas such as Human Resources, operational management of a store, Real Estate and Expansion management. 

Paul GUERIN, Treasury, Payments and Fraud Management Director 

Veepee 

NEW PAYMENTS MENTOR 

With more than 20 years of experience, Paul has developed a dual competence in finance and payments during his career. 

Paul holds a Master’s degree in Financial and Banking Techniques from the University of Paris 2 Assas and began his career in banking consulting. He worked at PwC from 2001 to 2005. After this experience in consulting, he held various positions in retail (Kering Group – formerly PPR), then continued his path through the payment sector within the Ingenico Group where he held various positions for 11 years in the finance department, then headed the operational risk department of the ePayments branch. He joined Veepee (vente-privee.com) in 2019 in the finance department and is now in charge of treasury, financing, payments, and fraud management. 

Alexandre Rubin, CEO – Yves Rocher France & Benelux 

CSR MENTOR 

Alexandre Rubin started his career as a store manager and regional  director for major brands such as Marks & Spencer, Habitat and Fnac. He then participated in the implementation of Starbucks in France as Director of Operations and accompanied the development and growth of Sephora as Retail Director and then of Camaïeu as General Manager France. For the past 9 years at Yves Rocher, he has steered international retail before taking over as General Manager for France & Benelux in 2018. For him, it is a strong brand promise combined with rigorous quality of execution that make winning retail strategies. 

Michelle Lau, General Manager France – Alibaba Group 

MARKETPLACE MENTOR 

Michelle Lau has been Co-General Manager of Alibaba Group France since February 2022. She joined Alibaba France as Senior Business Development Manager in 2016. In 2020, she moved into a leadership role in the Senior Strategic Partnership team, overseeing key strategic accounts for Alibaba Group’s major business units for digital solutions ranging from e-commerce to payments, digital infrastructure, and logistics. Prior to joining Alibaba Group, Michelle was in charge of marketing and business development at Printemps, Alain Figaret and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. She is a graduate of the MBA programme at HEC Paris and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

Flore Assie Soyez, Customer Experience Director – Decathlon

AGILE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MENTOR 

Flore Assie Soyez is currently Customer Experience Director at Decathlon France, which she joined in 2017. Drawing on her experience at Decathlon United in Shanghai and Madrid, she moved to Inesis as Golf textile products maker in the position of International Project Manager for Digital Transformation Omni commerce – She then joined Decathlon France as Customer Experience Leader before taking up her current position. 

Arthur Caron, Logistics & Supply Chain Director – Monoprix 

SUPPLY CHAIN MENTOR 

Arthur CARON was appointed Supply Chain Director as of April 1, 2023. Until that point, he was in charge of Supply Chain Management for Franprix. A graduate from the University of Colombia in Operational Research as well as from the Supélec school, Arthur started his career as a Consultant at Capgemini Consulting and then took charge of Logistics for Westwing (Rocket Internet group). Arriving at Groupe Casino in 2016, Arthur successively held the positions of Deputy Logistics Director for Franprix/Leader Price, Director of Operational Excellence for Franprix and Supply Chain Director.

Isolde ANDOUARD, CEO – Undiz 

MARKETING MENTOR 

After starting her career in finance in an M&A consulting firm, Isolde joined the SMCP group (Sandro Maje Claudie Pierlot) when it was created in 2010 by the investment fund L Catterton. She was to stay 6 years, first in Paris as General Secretary, then in Hong Kong where she participated in the launch and development of the group in Asia. Her experience in Asia continued at ba&sh, where she was in charge of the launch and management of the company in the region as CEO Asia Pacific. Based on her enriching experience, she has gone on to advise other brands in their strategy to establish themselves in Greater China. 

Since the beginning of 2022, Isolde has been the CEO of Undiz, the cool, fun, and colourful lingerie brand, combining quality, low prices, and CSR commitment. In a turbulent economic context, the little sister of the ETAM group, aimed at Gen Z, is confronted every day with the need to reinvent itself and innovate in order to stay as close as possible to the considerations of its target customers. 

Armelle PATAULT, Head of Data Science – ManoMano

DATA MENTOR 

Armelle Patault is currently Data Science Director at MANOMANO where she started her career in the group in January 2021. Her international career has taken her from Microsoft to Natixis, from Prosper Marketplace to Senior Data Scientist at Uber from 2019 to 2020. “We are results-oriented: we solve high-impact business problems and deliver value to our users in production”.