Peter Somers is stepping down as CEO at RetailDetail: he is succeeded by founder Jorg Snoeck. The operational management is now in the hands of COO Pascal Sabbe, who is new to the company.
Ready for the future
Somers, e-commerce entrepreneur and former board member of Belgian postal company bpost, came on board at RetailDetail in January 2018 to define a clear growth strategy. A lot has happened since then: the website received a make-over, the retail hub experience centre has shifted up a gear, new congresses have appeared on the calendar and together with C-level managers from the sector, RetailDetail has travelled to inspiring destinations such as Bologna, China, and New York, with a visit to Tokyo also on the cards.
Behind the scenes, the organisation has now been prepared for its next phase, says Somers: “The Future of Shopping, or the first ‘living retail lab’ in the world, is now truly in the pipeline and everything indicates that we will write a wonderful story there. It will be a laboratory where retailers can test out new concepts and technology with real consumers, as well as a hub where retailers, brands and their suppliers meet to work together and learn from each other. However, a new professional challenge awaits me: I will starting to work in the United Arab Emirates in October, in order to run a great company in a sector that is familiar to me.”
Ambitious project
On 1 October, Pascal Sabbe will take over the operational management of RetailDetail as COO. He has years of experience in retail and digital at Multipharma, e5 mode and The Reference, among others, and has also worked as a postgraduate lecturer in digital transformation at the Arteveldehogeschool. “His experience fits in well with achieving the ‘The Future of Shopping’ project and with the future plans for RetailDetail”, says Somers.
Sabbe is looking forward to further guiding RetailDetail in the digitisation sector and to help shape the ambitious upcoming project The Future of Shopping in the Stadsfeestzaal shopping centre in Antwerp: “This is a fascinating business in a sector that is close to my heart. The move to the Meir will soon herald a new era. Unprecedented opportunities are opening up.”
Founder and CEO Jorg Snoeck also sounds confident: “Every three years we basically have a new company, if you look at our history. This will not be any different in the future. In a fluid world, you always have to adapt your sails to the way in which the wind is blowing. But first, there will be extra big party for our tenth anniversary at our events this year: on 24 October there will be the RetailDetail Food Congress, with an impressive line-up on the new food ecosystem and during the RetailDetail Night on November 28th, we will find out for the first time who is crowned the ‘Favourite Store of Belgians‘.”
