Discover the first names on the RetailDetail Night 2025 agenda

On November 20, the thirteenth edition of RetailDetail Night will take place, the festive finale to the retail year: we are announcing the first names on the bill. Don’t wait to reserve a table or individual ticket.

Inspiring speakers

Once again, the end-of-year event for the retail sector will take place at the Antwerp Handelsbeurs, a special location that exudes grandeur. The familiar formula remains the same: in-depth preliminary programs in the afternoon and a plenary evening program during the networking dinner in the evening. Participants will not only be served a refined meal, but also the necessary food for thought from inspiring international speakers.

The traditional, lively annual review by retail professor Gino Van Ossel remains a fixture. We will also once again present the Best Brochure of the Year Award (an initiative of BD Media). The evening will also feature a dynamic, interactive segment: a debate with national and international retail leaders.

Frank discussion

Wouter Kolk, former CEO of Ahold Delhaize Europe & Indonesia, promises to engage in a candid conversation with the audience. Olivier Van den Bossche, the brand-new General Managing Director Benelux at MediaMarkt, who previously built an international career at Rituals, Metro AG, and Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof, among others, will also be present. With Anaïs Claes, sustainability manager at Claes Retail Group (JBC, Mayerline, CKS), we are bringing a representative of the younger generation with a clear vision to the stage.

In the Gamechangers pre-program, Willem Wijnen, the new CEO of fashion house Xandres since the beginning of this year, will present his vision for the future. Also fascinating will be the story of Stefanie Grijp, shop performance manager at Q8: she will present the innovative concept of “digital food markets” that the company is launching in 75 of its stations in Belgium and Luxembourg: customers can order ready-made meals and groceries from the Delhaize Shop & Go.

Failure as a learning moment

“Learn from other people’s mistakes. You don’t live long enough to make them all yourself,” Eleanor Roosevelt once said. That’s why RetailDetail Night is presenting a special preliminary program entitled “Fail Forward: failure as a learning opportunity.” Failure doesn’t have to be a negative experience: you often learn the most from mistakes or failures. Yet entrepreneurs are often reluctant to share the lessons they have learned from failure. That’s a shame, isn’t it?

RetailDetail sought out and found a few brave retailers who were willing to talk about their inspiring failures. In this pre-program, there will be no slick PowerPoint presentations: our participants will engage in open conversation with moderator Stefan Van Rompaey, with colleagues, and with you, the audience. On the panel:

-Stijn Martens, who pioneered the first Flemish online supermarket, Hopr, in 2021. An initiative he discontinued in 2025 after an “informative journey.”

-Pascale Switten, who helped relaunch the Cameleon outlet chain in 2021. In 2025, bankruptcy followed after rental issues and financing problems. “Still, pride prevails,” she says.

-Mark MJ Vandevelde, co-founder of the sustainable sneaker brand Komrads, which threw in the towel in August 2025 due to an unfavorable economic climate.

Networking with contacts and customers

With more than 400 top profiles from the retail sector in the Benelux in attendance, RetailDetail Night is a networking event not to be missed. You can order an individual ticket, including the preliminary and main programs and dinner.

Another particularly interesting option is to reserve a personalized table for ten people for your company. This is an ideal opportunity to end the year on a positive note with your team and/or your best business relations. Your ten guests will have access to the entire event, including dinner.

If you would like to book a table for ten people to invite colleagues, customers, or prospects, please contact kjell.bries@retaildetail.be. Don’t wait too long: more than half of the available places have already been reserved!