Leading international scientists and industry experts met on October 24-26 for the "Future of Retail Operations" workshop at the recently opened TUM Campus Heilbronn. Organized by Prof. Dr. Alexander Hübner (Chair of Supply and Value Chain Management, TUM Campus Straubing) and Prof. Dr. Stefan Minner (Chair of Logistics and Supply Chain Management, TUM School of Management), the participants discussed the latest research, new industry practices, and upcoming trends and innovations in retail operations such as omni-channel operations, operations-marketing interfaces, distribution concepts, and retail analytics. The workshop wanted to identify open spots and exciting new research fields. Among the participants were the global masterminds in retail operations and the workshop had aroused the interest of many experts in operations management, representing leading international universities such as University of Dallas, Wharton School, Singapore Management University, Koc University, IESE Barcelona or Stockholm University. Together with industry executives from Kaufland, Lidl, Lekkerland, and McKinsey & Company, the participants tried to answer the guiding questions:
- What are the key topics in Retail Operations 2025?
- How will ongoing digitalization change channel management, distribution concepts and store operations?
- What will be the key competences in retail analytics and execution? The assembled mix of leading research and hands-on industry practice enabled impulse lectures with a high level of interaction and inspiring impromptu discussions.
All participants left with new ideas for research topics, co-operations, and an even stronger network. The list of presenters can be found here.