Jointly hosted by China Retail Research Centre of the School of Economics and Management (SEM) of Tsinghua University, Circulation Industry Promotion Centre of the Ministry of Commerce, Research Centre for Contemporary Management of Tsinghua University and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and co-organized by e-Future Circulation Research Institute and e-Future Business Review, the 8th Forum and Consortium for Operational Excellence in Retailing 2012 Joint Conference was successfully held at SEM on December 11, 2012. The theme of the forum is “Innovative and Excellent Operation in Retailing”. Over 160 honourable guests from government departments, the business community and higher education institutes attended the forum. Vice President of Tsinghua University Professor XIE Weihe delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. Mr. MEN Xiaowei, director of Circulation Industry Promotion Centre of Ministry of Commerce attended the forum. CHEN Guoqing, EMC Chair Professor of SEM and Director of China Retail Research Centre of SEM presided over the opening ceremony.

         Vice President XIE Weihe of Tsinghua University delivering a welcoming speech

In his speech, Vice President XIE Weihe pointed out that the retail industry is facing challenges. The emerging e-commerce has not only altered the retail industry itself, but also brought a series of unprecedented impacts to the whole society and to the subjects of the retail industry including consumers, market and circulation. China Retail Research Centre has conducted effective works over the years, e.g. successfully hosted the China Retail Forum year by year. President XIE wished that the Centre will continue to closely work with internationally renowned scholars and practitioners and lead research in retailing by grasping the trend of the industry in line with the national development strategy.

At the Forum

Mr. MEN Xiaowei said that the major duty of Circulation Industry Promotion Centre is to facilitate development of the circulation industry and launch circulation industry-related research. Since retailing is an important sector of circulation, it is important for both decision makers and practitioners to continuously improve retailing operational mode and promote upgrading and structural changes of the traditional retailing industry. The rapid development of e-commerce has profound and fundamental influence on the retail industry and the whole circulation industry of China. It will further play an increasingly significant role in shaping business models, international trade and economic development.

In his speech, Professor Marshall Fisher of the Wharton School shared with the audience successful experience of organizing the Consortium for Operational Excellence in Retailing in the United States. He also talked about the purpose of organizing the first of such consortium in the greater China area, which is to solve practical problems for retailers through cooperation of academicians and the industry.

The morning theme presentations were anchored by Professor WANG Gao, Deputy Director of China Retail Research Centre. Presenters included MAO Minghua, Deputy General Manager of Rainbow Department Store Co., Ltd., LI Fei, Executive Deputy Director of China Retail Research Centre and professor of SEM, LI Houlin, Chairman of Hiersun, Yang Dehong, CEO of Beijing eFuture Information Technology Inc., Professor Marshall Fisher, and Yu Gang, President of 1mall.com. They discussed the challenges brought by new technologies to the traditional retail industry, the nature of the industry and transformation of the processes, internet-driven revolution of the industry and rapid development of companies driven by excellent management of supply chains. Professor LI Fei in particular identified three ever-lasting components of the retail industry, namely sales, socialising and entertainment, based on researches of the Centre. However, tremendous changes have taken place in the subject matter of information flow, capital flow, passenger flow and logistics, bringing up new problems, e.g. space, time and subject of retailing.

Professor David Robb of SEM presided over the afternoon session – theme presentations and interactive discussions on operational excellence in retailing. The presenters were Edwin Keh, CEO of Hong Kong Textile and Garment Research and Development Centre and former COO of Walmart Global Procurement, Lee Nai Shee, President of TAL, CHEN Jian, Lenovo Chair Professor of SEM and Director of Research Centre for Contemporary Management, GUO Quji, President of LightInTheBox.com, Yu Jeffrey Hu, Professor of Georgia Institute of Technology, WANG Gao, Professor of China Europe International Business School, ZHANG Tao, Vice President of Anta Sports Products Ltd. and CHEN Yubo, Professor of SEM. They presented on ways to create value of the supply chain, trends and challenges of online retailing, supply chain as the best innovation of e-commerce, multi-channel retailing, status quo and future trends of e-commerce in China, retail operation mode of Anta, mega data and business model innovations etc.

Since its establishment in 2004, China Retail Research Centre has hosted the China Retail Forum for eight consecutive years and has issued academic findings in the form of “Frontier Series of China Retail Research”. The 8th Forum and Consortium for Operational Excellence in Retailing 2012 allows Chinese and international retail corporations to share operational theories and ideas, and also acts as an important platform for in-depth communication and cooperation between business practitioners and researchers. This forum has received wide attention from scholars and retailing companies both at home and abroad, making it one of the most influential forums of retailing in China.