Michael Gould, chairman and CEO of Bloomingdales; Heinz Krogner, chairman of Esprit; Jack Ma, chairman and founder of Alibaba, and the Nordstrom family will be inducted to the World Retail Hall of Fame.
The four retailers have been chosen by retail leaders and experts across the globe in recognition of their achievements and dedication to the sector. They will be inducted during a special ceremony at the World Retail Congress (21-23 April) in Berlin this April.
Paul Charron, chairman of Campbell’s Soup Company will collect the award on behalf of the Nordstrom family, recognising their outstanding success in developing their department store business which enjoys a worldwide reputation for quality and customer service.
On hearing of his inauguration to the World Retail Hall of Fame, Michael Gould, chairman and CEO of Bloomingdales said he was overwhelmed.
“I am proud to accept this honour on behalf of my associates and partners, past and present, who working together have enabled each of us to be more than we thought we could be.”
Jack Ma of Alibaba Group said the recognition was a motivator to continue to innovate and support small businesses everywhere to better serve their customers around the world.
“Alibaba Group is proud to provide fuel to the drams of millions of small business and entrepreneurs around the world by offering marketplaces that have helped improve sourcing while revolutionising the distribution and retail of goods and services through e-commerce,” he added.
Launched in 2007, the Hall of Fame consists of over 100 individuals and OC&C has supported the Hall of Fame since its inception.
“OC&C Strategy Consultants are delighted to be supporting the World Retail Hall of Fame, as we have done since its inception,” said Michael Jary, worldwide managing partner at OC&C.
“At OC&C, we like to work with great retailers who are ambitious to achieve and sustain leadership in the markets. This year’s inductees exemplify the spirit that has shaped the retail industry as we know it today.”
The Hall of Fame also welcomes a new partner this year, CapitaMalls Asia, one of the largest listed shopping mall developers, owners and managers in Asia with a portfolio of 87 retail properties across 48 cities in the five countries of Singapore, China, Malaysia, Japan and India.
“CapitaMalls Asia believes in building strong relationships with both homegrown chains and international brands, and creating the right platform for retailers to grow their businesses,” said CEO of CapitaMalls Asia, Beng Chee Lim.
“We continually engage our retailers through sharing sessions and also arrange for them to network with each other for business opportunities, and have helped retailers from one of our markets expand to the other countries that we have a presence in. We are therefore pleased to join in this retailer-focused event to honour four of the world’s retail greats.”