Central Asia Retail Week, and what they really talked about there
On October 16and October 17, Tashkent hosted the Central Asia Retail Week — a key event for those who move the world of retail and e-commerce forward. Suppliers, manufacturers, consultants and distributors gathered together to discuss the future of the industry. Panel discussions, exchanging business cards, concluding contracts on the Trade and Purchase Exchange – it would seem that this is a standard set of business get-togethers. But this is only at first glance.
In truth, this forum is not just a place for pleasant conversations, but a platform where they decide how companies will develop in the coming years.
The most interesting part… Our colleagues found themselves in the thick of things!
Automate or die, that is the question…
On October 16, at a session dedicated to logistics, our Director of the Supply Chain DirectorateMansur Yuldashev literally touched on Hamlet’s dilemma: “To be or not to be?” In our case, the question was: “To automate or disappear from the market?” And this was not a dramatic exaggeration.
“If we don’t move forward, we will simply cease to exist,” — Mansur emphasized. Warehouse automation, digitalization of all key processes — this is no longer a choice, it is a necessity. “We are already moving towards 3PL services, and this is not just another step in the strategy — this is our chance to survive and remain a leader,” — he summed up. So for us, the question “to be or not to be” has long been decided: innovation is our way forward.
Where is the client waiting for us?
The next day, the audience’s attention switched to Yaroslav Gumenyuk, our Director of Marketing and Communications. His speech at the session “Marketing of the New Time” was pragmatic: “The question is no longer whether to be online or offline. It is important for the client to be comfortable, and our task is to be where he expects us.”
He made it clear that the retail of the future is a seamless customer experience. Online sales are growing at an incredible rate, and if companies don’t have time to adapt, they will simply lose their customers.
“Customers will no longer wait for us to figure out new technologies. They want convenience here and now. And we must be ready to provide it faster than our competitors,” — Yaroslav emphasized.
His speech was simple and clear: if we are not one step ahead, customers will go where they are offered what they want — and offered it faster and more conveniently.
Evolution or extinction?
Ekaterina added: “We don’t just talk about changes, we prepare our team for them. Today we teach people to be proactive, bold and flexible. These are the qualities that will help the company stay in the game.” She emphasized that the company creates an environment where every employee can contribute to the future and not be afraid to offer new ideas. Distribution is evolving, and those who lead it will be able to move forward, while those who remain in the past may disappear from the market.
At the session “Distributor of the Future”, Ekaterina Aganjanova, Director of the HR Directorate, and Mansur Yuldashev, Director of the Supply Chain Directorate, spoke about the critical changes that await distribution. “Margins are falling, and the classic distributor model no longer works,” Mansur noted, emphasizing that businesses cannot survive without radical changes. He spoke not just about automation, but about creating new values: “The future belongs to those who launch their own brands, open their own outlets and offer comprehensive services.”
Central Asia Retail Week made it clear: old models of work no longer save us in logistics, marketing, HR or distribution. Each area needs transformation. Those who are ready to implement new technologies, revise approaches to team management and develop new business models will be one step ahead. The rest risk losing their positions. The future belongs to those who are willing to adapt quickly, think flexibly and act decisively.