It is my privilege to chair the 2010 edition of the India Retail Forum (IRF) to be held in Mumbai on September 28th & 29th at the Renaissance Hotel. I am thankful to Mr. Sanjiv Goenka for finding me worthy of this honour and for proposing my name as also to Mr. Kishore Biyani and Mr. Thomas Varghese for seconding the proposal. I feel greatly humbled by the kind words of the earlier chairman Mr. B S Nagesh in his introductory and welcome messages. The overwhelming support of the industry titans will be of great help; it will be my endeavour to live up to the expectations of all those who have entrusted this responsibility to me.

As in the past, the IRF continues to be a great congregation of retail visionaries from all corners of the world. With its Conferences, Exhibiton and Awards, it continues to provide a great platform for the retail industry to learn from the masters, share experiences, strengthen relationships, forge new alliances, collaborate and also celebrate outstanding performances.

I have always believed that every individual or business allied with retail - be it a mall developer, a mall manager, a leasing consultant, a retail or product brand, a retail marketer, a retail designer, fixture manufacturer, logistics service provider, talent consultant, consumer behaviour analyst or a management consultant - has a stake in the development of the most attractive retail destination in the world,which is India. The country is poised to witness the most dramatic changes in her retail landscape over the next five years. And all of you, the Retailers, have a handsome stake in that.

India has shrugged off the trials of the economic slowdown and is now resolute in its pursuit of double-digit GDP growth. While on the supply side, reforms are being enacted by the Central and State governments, on the demand side we are beginning to witness the explosive combination of rising aspirations among the youth with the expanding presence of contemporary malls and attractive retail stores. On this foundation of solid economic growth, the market can only go up and bring in its wake tremendous opportunities for all. You, as Retailers, have to be ready to appropriately leverage the gains.

Many of us have been tempered by the events of the last 18 months and are stronger, more efficient and more productive than we were in the past. As we move forward, we will only get wiser with experience. And what better way to learn than by listening to the lessons, stories, anecdotes and wisdom of the speakers at the IRF. And, of course, using all that to good purpose in our businesses and partnering for success. We can learn from international visionaries and also from our peers in India, within a tightly packed two-day programme that encompasses visionary addresses, CEO power tracks, motivational sessions and workshops.

I look forward to meeting you at IRF 2010, which this year is aptly titled 'Get the Power'. If you have any suggestions on how we should structure the programme, do feel free to write to me at chairman@indiaretailforum.in.

Looking forward to sharing an empowering experience with you at IRF 2010.

Regards,


Bijou Kurien
Chairman, India Retail Forum (IRF) 2010
President & CE – Lifestyle Reliance Retail Limited