Introduction

• How can you boost profitability with agile operations?

• How can you create a customer-centric model and improve your margins?

• How can you best respond to the threat of private labels?

• What are the key dimensions of product innovation?

• How will e-commerce affect your business?

The retail sector has become increasingly sophisticated and complex in recent years. High customer expectations, the expansion of hard discounters and the growth of private labels are just a few of the challenges faced by both retailers and manufacturers. Meanwhile, two key trends – product proliferation and decreasing life cycles – are putting even more pressure on retail operations. Successful retail businesses today (including FMCG, apparel and other retail sectors) all share two common elements: excellence in operations and customer service, all the way from the manufacturer to the POS - be it groceries, apparel or consumer electrics.
The program will address these main areas:

• New retail models and smart management of working capital: Employ the right supply chain with the right retail strategy while managing your working capital in the most efficient manner.
• The renaissance of the shopper: Offer the best products at the best time with the best service and gain superior margins as a result.
• The hard discount model (HDM): Identify the key elements of the HDM and determine the implications for operations strategy and day-to-day operations.
• The atomization of demand: Harness behavioral data and create new value propositions for your customers by intelligent capture and use of customer data.
• The e-commerce challenge for established retailers: How will e-commerce affect your business?

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Key Take-Aways

• Gain a better understanding of the competitive dynamics in your retail industry
• Identify opportunities for cost savings in your operations
• Create a customer-centric model
• Deepen your understanding of the hard discount model (low-cost benchmark)
• Learn best practices in non-food and food retail
• Understand the link between product and supply chain
• Use consumer analytics to boost sales

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Program Structure

Tuesday, July 10

• Introduction: Current Industry Trends in Europe and Globally
• Textile Retail: Analysis of a small textile retailer (50+ stores) facing the challenges of growth and international sourcing, paired with short product life cycles and product proliferation
• Matching products and supply chains
• Using tools of consumer analytics to boost sales
• Retailing Consumer Electronics: The challenge of managing product proliferation and short life cycles

Wednesday, July 11

• New models in Retailing: Analysis of emerging retail models at the bottom of the pyramid (Brazil) and addressing the customer-centric model
• Retail Operations: Key concepts in retail supply chain management, illustrated with several company examples
• Managing Working Capital:  Illustrating the tight link between retail operations and working capital and its effects on profitability
• Supply Chain Finance: Leveraging supply chain relationship to generate win-win situations 

Thursday, July 12

• Managing Capacity and Offshore Operations: Opportunities and challenges of global sourcing with respect to supply chain management and availability trade-off
• Supply Chain Developments: Strategic tools in retail operations (private label, RFID, ECR and others)
• Strategic Purchasing and Supply Management: The role of purchasing in the retail chain, from the dual perspective of manufacturer and retailer
• Supply Chain Excellence and Strategic Coherence: Matching operations strategy and supply chain to business strategy

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Approach

The program incorporates a number of highly dynamic and interactive teaching methods, including group discussions, class lectures and the case study method.
The case study method, which is widely used in executive education, is an intense, challenging approach that requires participants to make business decisions and take action by analyzing, arguing and defending their recommendations against a multitude of equally plausible solutions.

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Who Should Attend

Optimizing Your Retail Business is designed for senior managers in the retail industry, as well as manufacturers and retailers in food and non-food sectors who want to gain a better understanding of the key value drivers behind the operations in their business. The program will focus on retail operations in the food and beverage sectors, in addition to the apparel & textile industry.

Past participants share their thoughts

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Faculty

	Marc Sachon Academic Director Professor of Production, Technology and Operations Management Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, Stanford University Marc Sachon’s main areas of expertise lie in process improvement, supply chain management and engineering risk analysis. His research focuses on e-supply chain management, product development, project management and engineering risk analysis.  He has contributed to several books and published numerous articles in academic journals, such as IEE Transactions, and business journals such as European Business Forum (EBF)
	Ahmad Rahnema Professor of Financial Management Ph.D. in Management, IESE Business School Ahmad Rahnema serves as the head of the Department of Financial Management. His main areas of expertise include risk management, banking and finance, and global financing. Prof. Rahmena is the co-editor of the International Journal of Finance Education. He is also a member of the editorial board of Harvard Deusto: Contabilidad & Finanzas and the advisory board of the European Capital Markets Institute. He is author of several books, including Finanzas internacionales and Basilea II: A New Bank-Company Relationship, and his articles have appeared in specialized and general press. Prof. Rahnema has worked on a variety of consulting assignments for a number of leading Spanish and international companies. His research has mainly dealt with international finance, risk management and means of payment.
	Victor Martínez de Albéniz Associate Professor of Production, Technology and Operations Management, IESE Business School  Ph.D. in Operations Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)  Víctor Martínez de Albéniz has a particular interest in procurement, where models for supply-base size, capacity of inventory management can be especially useful. His research focuses on understanding how supply chain decisions can help companies compete in the global arena. Prof. Martínez de Albéniz teaches operations management, operations strategy, logistics and new product development at the executive and MBA levels. Before joining IESE, he lectured at MIT. His work has been published in journals such as Operations Research, Manufacturing and Services Operations Management and Production and Operations Management.
	Paolo Rocha e Oliveira Assistant Professor of Marketing, IESE Business School Ph.D. in Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)  Paulo Rocha e Oliveira’s main area of interest is the management and marketing of services. His latest research focuses on the management of issues at the marketing and operations interface, specifically the management of waiting time, service quality, customization strategies and dynamic pricing policies. Prof. Rocha e Oliveira’s research has been presented at international conferences such as Frontiers in Services, INFORMS and Marketing Science, and has been accepted for publication in journals including Manufacturing and Service Operations Management.

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