Fashion Retail Academy Attends World Retail Congress 2026

The Fashion Retail Academy joined global readers at this year’s World Retail Congress in Berlin - one of the retail industry’s leading international events, bringing together more than 1,000 senior executives and decision-makers from across the sector.

Representatives from across the Fashion Retail Academy attended the event, including members of the senior leadership team, staff and undergraduate degree students, offering a valuable opportunity to connect education with industry at the highest level. 

Throughout the event, delegates heard from some of the world’s leading retail businesses on the key challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the industry. Conversations focused on innovation, customer engagement, growth strategies, and the increasing role of AI in retail transformation.

Here's a breakdown of some of the sessions we attended and the impact they had on the students:

Relevance, Loyalty and the Future of Retail Growth

Jose Antonio Ramos, CEO of ASOS, joined the Head of EMEA at Rokt, Marc Allsop, to deliver a session titled “Relevance, Loyalty, and the New Commercial Logic to Drive Growth in Retail: How ASOS is Building a Business That Earns Growth.”

The discussion explored leadership lessons and commercial thinking behind ASOS’ ongoing transformation journey, including the launch of ASOS World - a loyalty programme centred around experience, exclusivity and customer value.

Speakers also highlighted investment in AI-driven personalisation and the growing opportunity within commerce media, reinforcing the importance of relevance-led customer experiences in building long-term, sustainable growth.

The Roadmap to 2030

One of the FRA’s undergraduate students, Libby Knight, attended the “Roadmap to 2030” keynote panel featuring speakers from Estée Lauder, TENDAM and IKEA.

Reflecting on the session, she highlighted the growing shift in power towards consumers and the role AI is playing in helping brands better understand and enhance the customer journey.

The panel also explored the importance of creating bespoke customer experiences across global markets, recognising cultural nuances, and how brands are adapting to remain relevant in an increasingly connected retail landscape.

Libby shared that she is looking forward to applying these insights within future academic and industry projects.

- Libby Knight, BA (Hons) Buying & Merchandising student

Keynote Interview with Clare Keller, Creative Director at UNIQLO

Violet Dyer, a BA (Hons) Marketing & Communication for Fashion student, attended a keynote panel featuring Clare Waight Keller, Creative Director at UNIQLO.

The session offered valuable insight into her career journey, from leading roles at GIVENCHY and Chloé to shaping UNIQLO’s global creative vision today.

One of the key takeaways was the importance of understanding the culture behind a brand, its people, values and consumers, in order to create authentic and globally relevant fashion brands.

For students, hearing directly from industry leaders provides first-hand industry knowledge around the evolving fashion and retail landscape.

Taking the Stage

Alongside attending keynote sessions and networking with industry leaders, three second-year undergraduate students also took to the stage at World Retail Congress.

The students joined discussions exploring what the next generation expects from careers in retail, sharing perspectives on workplace culture, progression, purpose and innovation with an audience of international retail leaders.

Their participation highlighted the importance of bringing emerging talent into industry conversations and ensuring future voices help shape the evolving retail landscape.

- Violet, BA (Hons) Marketing & Communications for Fashion student