NACDS Chairman Alex Gourlay, co-chief operating officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance & president, Walgreen Co., kicked off the NACDS Retail Advisory Board (RAB) Meeting in New York City. RAB Chairman Brian Bradley, executive vice president of Sales & Customer Development at Lornamead, Inc., is on the left. The meeting focused on where retail is right now—and where it is headed.
The NACDS Retail Advisory Board (RAB) conducted its most recent meeting in New York City last week with a focus on where retail is right now, where it is headed and on cutting-edge innovation.
The RAB began the week visiting with six start-up companies at XRC Labs—a business accelerator—and learned about their products, services and technologies. These companies helped create a buzz among the members on how traditional companies can engage and embrace start-ups. The following morning, the RAB meeting opened with remarks from NACDS Chairman Alex Gourlay, co-chief operating officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance & president, Walgreen Co.
The meeting’s agenda was designed to focus on the most relevant, timely and eclectic aspects of the industry at this pivotal marker in time. An impressive lineup of speakers included representatives from Consumer Equity Partners, Fung Global Research and Technology and XRC Labs. The first speaker discussed the impact Amazon is having on the retail marketplace and how companies can both work with Amazon and compete with it. The second presenter examined how retailers and consumer packaged goods suppliers are using artificial intelligence—now and in future plans. The final speaker assessed the ways companies are effectively implementing innovation.
The meeting successfully integrated what’s happening now in retail and connected with a group of entrepreneurial startups to get a gauge on the potential of an ever-evolving, increasingly agile and responsive retail landscape.
View more photos from the event on the NACDS Retail Advisory Board Meeting Flickr album.
