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LONDON — Building on the success of its annual Industry Day, the Emerson Group is expanding its thought leadership — and taking it global — with the launch of a new “Future of Commerce” event series. The initiative aims to bring together key players from the retail and manufacturing industries, offering insights on emerging trends and strategies from some of the world’s biggest retailers, including Walmart, Costco, and CVS.
The series will kick off with an event live-streamed from London on October 9, allowing American retail and CPG executives to get an international perspective on the trends shaping their industry’s future, without ever leaving their desks.
The London event marks the first time the Emerson Group has taken its industry forum abroad, a move designed to offer fresh insights from outside the U.S. market.
“We wanted to step back from our day-to-day in the U.S. and see how trends are evolving in the U.K. and globally,” said Natalie Ryan, Team Lead for Data Strategy at the Emerson Group. “The U.K. consumer is always worth watching to see what behaviors might shift toward the U.S.”
Attendees will hear from prominent U.K. retailers — including Tesco, Boots, Asos and Holland & Barrett — as well as from senior leaders from Amazon, PWC, Unilever, Kenvue and others. The program, which will run from 8 am until noon Eastern Standard Time) will address where retailing and brands appear to be headed. More specifically, discussions will address The Future of the Consumer, The Future of Retail, The Future of Technology and the Future of Leadership.
Click here to see the agenda and register.
Ryan, for example, will moderate a panel discussion with representatives from several emerging UK-based challenger brands. These newer, often niche brands face unique challenges as they try to compete in a market increasingly driven by consumer demand for affordability and value. Ryan emphasized that while these companies may face pricing hurdles, they are also often at the forefront of trends that larger and more established brands may overlook—particularly in areas such as women’s wellness and digestive health.
“It’s going to be exciting to hear from these brands about how they innovate while navigating the challenges of launching premium-priced products in a value-driven market,” Ryan said.
The live-streamed kickoff program will be followed by more events that will be held throughout the U.S. in 2025, featuring a comprehensive range of retailers, manufacturers, and industry experts. These forums will further explore where the retail and manufacturing sectors are headed and how brands can adapt to meet evolving consumer expectations.
“The mission of Industry Day has always been to bring the industry together and provide education on the future of commerce,” said Ryan. “That hasn’t changed, but this new event series allows us to have more focused discussions throughout the year on different topics, with a broader, global lens.”
