Amongst those speaking will be the CEOs and Presidents of IGA, X5 Retail Group, M. Video, Dixy, Megapolis, Procter and Gamble, Auchan, Ikea, Marks and Spencer, Karen Millen, H&M, Kimberly Clark, Ozon.ru, Gloria Jeans, Victoria, Spar, FM Logistics, TNS and more than 80 other industry leaders.

The key issues concerning the future development of the retail sector will be discussed at RBR2010 from a national and global perspective.

RBR2010 will examine the retail sector from every angle – strategies for growth, supply chain solutions, operational efficiency, technological innovations, marketing ideas, multichannel concepts, mergers and acquisitions, green building, federal laws and initiatives, and consumer behaviour.

The agenda and speakers can be seen at www.RetailBusinessRussia.com
You can also register online at http://retailbusinessrussia.com/register.php

Please find details of Fresh Food Russia at www.freshfoodrussia.com

Fresh Food Russia will bring the leading grocery retailers, distributors and producers together at the Hilton Leningradskaya, Moscow, on the 11-12 November 2010.

The fresh food sector in Russia is growing fast due to enormous consumer demand and a lack of efficient supply.

Fresh Food Russia offers you the opportunity to get involved in this developing sector.

This year’s event will be focussing on:

Reducing returns and loss within the fresh food supply chain thus enabling producers and retail chains to improve margins.

Strategies for increasing volumes of production of fresh marketable output

The opportunities for supplying fresh and ecologically clean products in Russia and the CIS

Technologies for processing, producing and packaging ready for sale fresh products

Closer collaboration between producers and the retail chains

The forum attracts the heads of the fresh produce divisions of the leading retail networks in Russia and the CIS, the chief executvies of production companies and agrarian businesses developing the commoditised production of fresh produce.

Keynote speakers include:
Alexander Chetverikov, Chairman, “Agroholding” Group of Companies, Deputy of the Russian State Duma
Eugeniy Sidorov, Chairman, Moskovskiy Agrocompany
Andrey Danilenko, CEO, Russfarms
Sergey Khavanov, CEO, Agrotrade
Andrey Grigorenko, CEO, Kraft Consulting – Dymov Group of Companies
Eugeniy Medovy, Director, Artbridge project
Sergey Kharlamov, CEO, Bakhetleva-1
Mikhail Burmistrov, CEO, Infoline Analytics
Alexander Kuzmin, CEO, Association of Producers and Distributors of Food Products
Mikhail Avetisov, Project Director, NIVA Agroholding
Leonid Goutin, Assortment Planning Director, Dixy
Guriy Shilov, Deputy Director for Processing, Belaya Dacha Trading

For speaking, sponsorship or delegate registration enquiries please contact Dominic Manley on +44 207 193 7863 or manley@b2bcg.ru

Fresh Food Russia is produced by BBCG, the leading conference organiser for the retail sector in Russia, and the organisers of Retail Business Russia 2010 which takes place at the Radisson Royal, Moscow, 9-10 September.

At BBCG’s recent Board Of Director’s Event, held at the same time as the Futsal Retail Football Cup, special guests and chief executives of the retail industry discussed their attitude toward the “social position of modern business in the consumer sector”.

Yevgeny Fedorov, deputy of the State Duma, Chairman of the Economic Policy and Entrepreneurship Committee, Oleg Sazanov, Director of the Department of State Regulation of Internal Trade, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Alexander Borisov, Chairperson of the Committee on Consumer Market Development, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Lev Khasis, Chairman of the Board, RCA, Chief Executive Officer, X5 Retail Group, Akin Bayer, Managing Director, Metro Cash & Carry Russia, and Sergey Agibalov, Business Manager, Sportmaster, participated in the press conference that opened the Board of Directors Event. Ilya Belonovsky, Executive Director, AKORT, moderated the press conference.

Board of Directors 2010, is the annual meeting of the market’s chief executives and is dedicated to the discussion of strategic issues for the retail sector.

On the last Saturday of June the First Futsal Cup for retailers – organized by AKORT (the retail companies association) and BBCG (the organisers of Retail Business Russia), took place at the Dynamo Sports Palace.

The competition brought together employees of the industry’s major retail chains. In the presence of many hundreds of spectators and special guests, teams of the following companies took to the field: X5, M.Video, Metro, Kopeyka, O’KEY, DIXY, Sportmaster, BILLA , and Pepsi.

The Cup was a real symbol of the modern interpretation of social policy and attention to the development of sports on the part of the Russian retail industry!

Prior to the Cup’s kick-off, a press conference was held where special guests and chief executives of the retail industry discussed their attitude toward AKORT’s initiative and answered journalists’ questions regarding the “social position of modern business in the consumer sector”.

Yevgeny Fedorov, deputy of the State Duma, Chairman of the Economic Policy and Entrepreneurship Committee, Oleg Sazanov, Director of the Department of State Regulation of Internal Trade, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Alexander Borisov, Chairperson of the Committee on Consumer Market Development, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Lev Khasis, Chairman of the Board, RCA, Chief Executive Officer, X5 Retail Group, Akin Bayer, Managing Director, Metro Cash & Carry Russia, and Sergey Agibalov, Business Manager, Sportmaster, participated in the press conference. Ilya Belonovsky, Executive Director, AKORT, moderated the press conference.

The press conference also opened a concurrent event program – Board of Directors 2010, the annual meeting of the market’s chief executives dedicated to the discussion of strategic issues for the retail sector.

In the meantime, a veritable battle was unfolding on the futsal arena! Uncompromising but fair play, top skills of the futsal players, who are current employees of the companies, and massive fan support from the stands – all of this made the Cup an exhilarating, emotionally charged spectacle. The outcome of the quarterfinal and semifinal elimination games determined the finalists: teams of Kopeyka and X5.

After the first round, the Retail All-Stars team played the Pepsi team. In the very first seconds, the Retail All-Stars team scored the decisive goal! The Pepsi team demonstrated an excellent level of play, but, having put out a strong united side, the Retail All-Stars team did not relinquish the victory to its opponent and earned a special prize – the RCA Minor Cup!

During the breaks between the games, spectators warmly welcomed Korni (Roots), a popular music group, as well as professional cheerleaders and female cheerleaders from BILLA and X5 Retail Group!

The support groups not only demonstrated an excellent ability to raise the teams’ fighting spirit, but also performed exciting dance routines along with the members of the music group.

Final game: X5 vs. Kopeyka! Emotions were at their peak, fan groups were overpowering each other now and again with their football chants, rattle-boxes and drums! They all believed in their side’s victory! However, a game is a game, and there can be only one winner! After a tough match, with a score of 5:4 X5 Retail Group won the game, thus becoming the First holder of the RCA Futsal Cup! We extend our warm congratulations to this team!

The organizing committee extends its sincere thanks to Alyona Borodina, the one-of-a-kind Cup announcer and a popular presenter at Russkoe Radio, and Roman Skvortsov, the exciting futsal commentator and a Sport TV channel commentator, for his brilliant and emotionally charged anchoring of the event!

Many thanks to all RCA Cup participants! Until we meet again at the Cup in 2011!

We are delighted to announce that Jean-Marc Saubade, the Managing Director of the Consumer Goods Forum, will speak at this year’s Retail Business Russia on the 9-10 September at the Radisson Royal in Moscow.

Jean-Marc Saubade, 53, has a 30-year track record of high achievement in the international fast moving consumer goods industry. After gaining a BA in business administration from ESSEC, Paris, he began his career in 1980 at Kraft Foods. In 1988 he joined the board as Marketing Director at Kraft Jacobs Suchard in Argentina. After three years, in which the business saw strong growth, he moved to Belgium to revitalise Kraft’s newly acquired ‘Cote d’Or’ brand. The experience of strategic planning led to another promotion in 1994, to Category Director for Kraft Europe, in Zurich.

In 2000, Jean-Marc joined Cadbury as Managing Director for ‘Hollywood’, leading the integration and relaunch of the brand, following its acquisition from Kraft. He was made Managing Director for Cadbury France the following year. He spearheaded the integration of three different business units into one, Cadbury France, and developed a new culture, vision and strategy. In 2004 he became Managing Director for Western Europe, achieving top-line growth and strong profitability components over four years. His most recent role saw him take worldwide responsibility for Cadbury’s GBP 2.4 billion chocolate category.
As Managing Director of The Consumer Goods Forum, Jean-Marc provides executive leadership for the global FMCG industry network, connecting 2400 business leaders from 650 companies, with sales of EUR 2.1 trillion industry, across 70 countries. The Forum has a mandate from its members – to develop common positions on key strategic and practical issues affecting the consumer goods business and to focus on non-competitive collaborative process improvement. The Forum’s work is structured around five strategic pillars, identified as central to the advancement of today’s consumer goods industry: Emerging Trends; Sustainability; Health & Wellness; Operational Excellence and Knowledge Sharing & People Development.

Kingfisher plan to continue with their agressive expansion plans in Russia this year and in the future and see huge potential in the country.

They aim to open four stores a year with an investment of Euros 30 million to 50 million yearly.

See the interview from our DIY Congress here.

http://londonftp2.rtv.thomsonreuters.com/clipplayer/?year=2010&month=05&date=27&clip=108569&site=UK&action=Play

See details of the event here:
www.b2bcg.ru/ru/businessforums/fashion-retail-russia-2010
See the delegate list here
www.b2bcg.ru/ru/businessforums/2087/uchastniki
See the speakers here:
www.b2bcg.ru/ru/businessforums/2087/vystupayushchie
See the program here:
www.b2bcg.ru/ru/businessforums/2087/programma

On Thursday and Friday last week our DIY and Household Retail Forum took place with a capacity number of delegates, an informative agenda and a great line up of Russian and international industry leaders speaking.

From the international arena Ian Cheshire, Global CEO of Kingfisher, Ian Strickland, CEO of OBI, John Herbert, General Secretary of EDRA (European DIY Retail Association), Matt Tyson, CEO Castorama Russia, and Mikko Pasanen of Rautakesko all spoke on the opening day.

Russian DIY heavyweights speaking included Rinat Mukhametvaleev, Executive Director of Trest SCM, Mikhail Kokorich of Uyuterra, Alexey Iovlev, the CEO of Metrika and Alepse Kholodov of Lepse Market amongst many others.

All spoke to a packed hall of delegates from DIY companies from across Russia and the Former Soviet Union.

BBCG, the organisers of Russia’s leading retail conference Retail Business Russia, have launched a new competition for students in conjunction with the Ministry for Industry and Trade in Russia.

They have invited teams from academic institutions across Russia and Europe to take part. The competition is an open tender to find dynamic new ideas to change the future of Russian retail.

Over 31 entries have been received to date. Only 4-5 finalists will be shortlisted and will present their projects from the stage of Retail Business Russia 2010. Lev Khasis of X5 and his Advisory Board colleagues will judge the entries.

The Entries have been as diverse as a retail format consisting of kiosks, an innovative shopping cart designed to keep your personal items safe to a new online shopping concept.

The winning team and the competition will be celebrated at a lunch held during Retail Business Russia 2010. The winning team will receive a prize of $10,000 and good job offers within top Russian retail firms.

The Ministry For Industry and Trade have officially launched the competition:

http://www.minprom.gov.ru/press/release/showNewsIssue?url=press/video/86

Retail Business Russia 2010 will bring the elite of the Russian retail sector together for our 9th International Congress on the 9-10 September at the Radisson Royal in Moscow.

Retail Business Russia, held annually since 2001, is the leading summit for Russias retail industry. With over 1,000 delegates attending, it is the largest event of its kind in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

Delegates are made up of the owners and chief executives of retail chains in all market sectors, international and national manufacturers, distributors, investment companies and government representatives.

Participants come from all regions of the Russian Federation, the former Soviet Union and the European Union. There are approximately 100 key speakers each year at the Summit who are generally chief executives of the market’s largest companies.

The project is supported by leading international companies, including Ernst & Young, SAP, Oracle and Pepsi. The Summit is covered by all the major national media outlets and information agencies, including Bloomberg, Interfax, ITAR-TASS, Reuters, Vedomosti, Kommersant, The Moscow Times and Expert as well as the TV channels Vesti, NTV and RBC.

Participation is considered mandatory by the retail sector’s chief executives.

BBCG (B2B Conference Group) is a leader in organizing major annual summits for top managers of the Russian economy’s key industries: the retail trade, the manufacturing of consumer goods, agriculture, and the service sector.
The company was founded in 2000, and for 10 years has been engaged in the analysis of problems and opportunities for business management and consumer market trends.
In addition to Retail Business Russia, we also organize the following leading summits in the retail sector: Private Label & Purchasing Director, On-line Retail, DIY Russia, and Fashion Retail Russia.
The company’s mission is to provide ideas, exclusive information, and contacts to ensure the success of all of our events’ participants, and to grow with them whilst always leading the market.

U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart is in preliminary talks to acquire Russian retailer Lenta after years of trying to enter the fast-growing market, sources with first hand knowledge of the matter said.

www.reuters.com