At Zeeman, we call corporate social responsibility or sustainable business simply thrifty – thrifty for people, materials, the environment and society. For more than 50 years, this down-to-earth approach has been in our DNA, and we keep getting better at it. We also notice that our customers appreciate this, especially when everything is getting more and more expensive. We combine affordability with good quality. This is how we grow in a sustainable way and work towards a future where cost-conscious and caring go hand in hand. This keynote will be presented by Erik-Jan Mares, CEO of Zeeman.

Since the relaunch, e5 has managed to achieve good sales growth three years in a row, and the company is profitable. But the retailer does not really want to sell more clothing: there is already too much, according to CEO Peter De Sutter, who calls ultra-cheap fast fashion “a disgrace.” The fashion chain is betting on AI to match supply to demand. “Not with the goal of making people buy even more. But to predict demand: when customers think of us, what do they think of?”

Fashion retailers will soon lose 10% of their sales to second-hand, predicts RetailDetail founder Jorg Snoeck. The Captain of Retail takes you through a whirlwind keynote on a fashion sector in transformation: ‘The future has arrived earlier than we thought, bringing new challenges as well as opportunities.’ Meet the ‘connected consumer’ – and what does it mean for high streets, brands and chains? With international examples, surprising insights and practical solutions, discover how “fashion” can prepare for the future.

Marianna is a Payments & Technology enthusiast driving change in European Financial Services through partnerships with banks and FinTech. At Visa Direct Europe, she focuses on launching an innovative high-value cross-border payments network for Visa. Previously, Marianna worked at SWIFT and BNP Paribas Fortis, gaining global and regional expertise in banking, payments, liquidity management, technology, and cybersecurity.