Executive Summary

The Coresight Research team attended the Retail’s Cutting Edge conference, part of the StartmeupHK Festival 2019, a platform for startups, entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, students and academics to exchange ideas and make connections. The conference was part of an initiative launched by InvestHK, a government body charged with promoting Hong Kong as a location for international businesses. The event focused on retail topics from omnichannel strategies to sustainability. These are some of the key takeaways from the event.

• Fung Retailing Group is leveraging its recent strategic partnership with Alibaba to expand its offering in helping companies enter the China market.
• Brick-and-mortar stores are not dead, with positive in-store experiences raising brand visibility and supporting online sales.
• Alibaba’s Freshippo supermarkets (formerly known as Hema) showcased “retail of the future,” powered by technology and unconventional store formats.
• Nonprofit organizations such as H&M Foundation are gaining traction in advising brands on sustainability.