The dynamic in online retailing has been apparent since before the Covid-19 crisis: there is no retail concept that cannot be digitalised. But what about physical retail space? What should remain, what should disappear, what needs more space?

"All retailers could benefit from being a bit more paranoid and protective of their turf." This is what Sucharita Kodali, Vice President at the American market research company Forrester, says. This means that they should invest more in protecting their intellectual property and lobbying for laws in their favour, just like Google, Facebook and Co. are doing. Read an interview here. Sucharita Kodali spoke at the 71st International Retail Summit on 9 and 10 September 2021.

How do you manage your staff during a pandemic of unprecedented magnitude? What doesn't work at all in such a situation? One person who should know is Erich Harsch. As CEO of the Hornbach DIY group, he is responsible for 23,000 employees. How did his employees inspire him during the pandemic? Harsch discussed it all here in an interview, and at the 71st International Retail Summit.

From the digitalisation of our food system to investments in "Clean Meat" – read the most important statements of the speakers at our 1st International Food Innovation Conference.

Wie wird man ein Unternehmen, das die Welt nachhaltig zum Guten verändert? Man kann einfach behaupten, so ein Unternehmen zu sein – oder man stellt es unter Beweis. KundInnen werden kritischer.

The dematerialisation, demonetisation and democratisation of shopping has only just begun. Consumption as we know it today will cease to exist. Magic Commerce is one possible future scenario.

Most online shops today are based on the same 25-year-old tile design. Neha Singh, founder and CEO of the e-commerce platform Obsess, wants to change this with her 360-degree online shops. She explained why investors thought this was worth USD 3.4 million in a video and at the GDI International Retail Summit.

Whether in the form of neighbourhood shopping or delivery to the doorstep, proximity to consumers is becoming increasingly important, as the pandemic has shown. Mario Irminger, CEO of the discounter Denner, outlined the conclusions he has drawn from this in a video interview and at the GDI Retail Summit.

Research into creating fish, meat and milk in a test tube is booming. Investors anticipate big profits and are investing enormous sums, but as yet, no products have come to market. Here, and at the upcoming 1st International Food Innovation Conference, we provide an overview of how the cellular agriculture market will develop.

Fleischersatzprodukte sind im Trend. In den vergangenen fünf Jahren verdoppelte sich der Umsatz in dieser Kategorie. Davon profitieren auch die Schweizer Maschinenbauer. Was jetzt noch fehle, seien konkurrenzfähige Preise, sagte GDI-Food-Expertin Christine Schäfer unlängst  in der SRF-Sendung «10 vor 10».

"We need to reimagine the way we eat," says GDI Executive Advisor David Bosshart, in an interview in the run-up to the 1st International Food Innovation Conference. Read about his perspective on genetically modified foods and changing consumer behaviour.

With her start-up Reflaunt, Stéphanie Crespin connects luxury brands to the second-hand market using blockchain technology. She recently raised 2.7 million US dollars in funding for her venture. Crespin's ambitious goal is to solve the fashion industry's sustainability problem.