FutureCity opens its doors to the next retail revolution

From store closures and job cuts to new work safety protocols, there is no doubt that retail stands as one of the industries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Even with clear winners in ecommerce and some glimmers of recovery in the sector, retailers are faced with uncertain futures. But they can be certain about one thing: the industry will never be the same again.

According to the latest figures from Mckinsey, the retail habits that consumers have adopted during stay-at-home orders, such as more online shopping, are most likely here to stay. And many major companies are scrambling to put their eggs in the right (shopping) basket, closing brick-and-mortar stores and investing more into their digital counterparts. 

So if the shopping experience as we know it is due for an overhaul, just what will the new retail revolution look like?

Join us for the latest in the FutureCity series, as we look to the future possibilities of retail. We’ll explore better consumer experiences both online and offline and other innovative retail ideas, with a host of industry leaders and movers and shakers.  

FAB MeetUp: The Future of Retail
19:00 (UTC+08:00) on Thursday, July 16, 2020

To kickstart the discussions, Loftwork and FabCafe Hong Kong are back with yet another free online edition of the FAB MeetUp talk series. This time, we’ll get to pick the brains of two veterans of retail – Roco Wong, a regional visual merchandising director at L’Occitane, and Tina Lo, the SVP of global business development at Pinkoi. With Wong’s expertise in store planning methodologies and Lo’s wealth of experience in retail business development, they two will share what new consumer experiences will entail and how we can create them, in this post-pandemic world. They will be joined by moderator Harvey Chung, the co-founder of Loftwork Hong Kong.

This FAB Meetup session is supported by the Design Trust Seed Grant.

For further details and to sign up: https://fabcafe.com/events/fab-meetup-the-future-of-retail

FAB MeetUp Speakers

Tina Lo (SVP of Global Business Development, Pinkoi)
Tina Lo is the SVP of global business development at Pinkoi, one of Asia’s leading online marketplaces for original design goods, digital creations and workshop experiences. Before Pinkoi, Lo worked at a Dutch sailing brand for almost ten years, rising through the ranks from junior positions to, eventually, a top international executive responsible for managing distribution, licensing and e-commerce businesses primarily in Europe and Asia. She has a MSc in China Business Studies from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University,

Pinkoi Space at The Mills HK

Roco Wong (Regional Store Development & Visual Merchandising Director – APAC, L’Occitane)
Roco Wang has more than 15 years of experience in the retail design and project management industry, with a particular focus in store planning methodologies and processes across the Asia-Pacific Regions. He has worked with numerous luxury and premium retail brands in varying capacities, from construction management, project consultation, to in-house strategies implementation. He is currently the regional head of store development and visual merchandising for the French natural beauty group L’Occitane en Provence, which has a store network of over 500 stores in Asia. Roco holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design (University of British Columbia, Canada) and a Master of Project Management (University of South Australia, Australia).

L’occitane Store