Lotte Department Store announced on the 20th that it will co-host the 16th IGDS World Department Store Summit (World Department Store Summit·WDSS) at Lotte Hotel Seoul in Jung-gu, Seoul.
The summit will take place on the 11th and 12th of next month.
This is the first time that a Korean department store is hosting the IGDS World Department Store Summit.
The Intercontinental Group of Department Stores (IGDS) is an association with 44 department stores from 38 countries, and the summit, which began in London in 2008, has become an annual event exploring strategies for the department store industry in major cities every year.
The theme of this summit is 'How to Best Captivate Customers.'
Accordingly, eight sessions will be held on ▲ changes in the retail industry ▲ consumer trends ▲ application of new technologies ▲ best services.
On the first day, a keynote speech and a presentation focused on the evolution of K department stores will be delivered by Jeong Joon-ho, CEO of Lotte Department Store, who will also serve as a speaker.
Additionally, André Maeder, CEO of Selfridges, Fanya Chandler, CEO of Nordstrom, Natira Boonsri, CEO of Central & Robinson, and Yugo Hiramatsu, senior managing director of Shibuya Parco, are among the key speakers.
After the event concludes, a tour of Lotte Department Store's main store will be held for summit attendees on the afternoon of the 12th of next month.
Key stakeholders at the summit will have the opportunity to reflect on the success factors of Lotte Department Store's main store by touring its main building and Avenue L, as well as get a glimpse of the future vision for Lotte Town Myeongdong, according to Lotte Department Store.
Jeong Joon-ho, CEO of Lotte Department Store, noted, 'The fact that we are hosting the IGDS World Department Store Summit for the first time in Korea is a result of the world recognizing K retail.' He added, 'As Lotte Department Store represents Korea in hosting this summit, we will make thorough preparations to transform it into a platform for innovation that can predict the future 10 years ahead.'