On Friday, October 3rd, we had the honor of welcoming our customers and close contacts to a unique event at the historic Wintercircus in Ghent. Under the theme Shaping the Future of Smart Retail Networks, four retail leaders - Coolblue, Torfs, Standaard Boekhandel and bpost shared powerful insights on thriving through digital disruption and evolving consumer expectations. A short retrospective!
KU Leuven - Els Breugelmans, Professor Retail Marketing (Intro):
“The future of retail”
Retailers maintaining competitiveness invest heavily in omnichannel experiences and local engagement to drive growth and loyalty amid evolving consumer behaviors and retail landscapes.
According to Els, the future of retail is “a future with physical stores, but without channel thinking.” But what attracts customers to visit stores? Els zoomed in on the different roles of the physical store: convenience, discovery, customization, community and ‘shoppertainment’.
Coolblue - Jos Groenendijk, Head of Stores:
“From offline to online: scaling retail networks in a digital age”
Jos detailed Coolblue’s ambitious expansion plan, with eight new stores set for 2025 , while maintaining a laser focus on customer satisfaction. His main message was simple yet impactful: the business revolves around two key metrics — EBITDA and Net Promoter Score (NPS).
“Every location decision we make aims to enhance customer happiness,” Jos explained. Coolblue’s focus drives continuous innovation in store experiences and ensures that retail growth is sustainable amidst the ongoing digital transformation.
Schoenen Torfs - Lise Conix, CEO:
“Human-centered retail: Building the store of tomorrow”
Lise shared the strategic growth of Schoenen Torfs, which operates 78 stores across Belgium. Under her leadership, Torfs achieved a 4.4% revenue increase and 11% rise in operating profit in 2024. Her presentation highlighted critical “turning points” and “innovation windows” in the shoe retail sector.
Lise explained how the company balances expansion with innovation — venturing into fashion retail — to stay ahead of market shifts and evolving customer needs.
She emphasized the importance of being a Great Place To Work® to keep employees happy and motivated, as they are one of the most valuable assets to their company.
Standaard Boekhandel - Veerle De Witte, CEO:
“Omnichannel growth: from bookstore to digital retailer”
Veerle brought attention to the power of omnichannel retail. Leading a group with 180 physical stores and two webshops in Belgium, she detailed how omnichannel customers significantly outperform others in spending.
“Omnichannel customers spend three times more than online-only customers and twice as much as offline-only customers,” Veerle noted. Her insight underscores the importance of integrating online and offline channels to boost customer lifetime value and build stronger brand connections.
Bpost: Laurens Himpe, Chief Automated Parcel Officer:
“The Future of Delivery & Omnichannel Logistics”
With bpost’s extensive delivery network of 2,500+ service points across all Belgian municipalities, Laurens explained to us how bpost combines a dense physical network with cutting-edge logistics technology to meet modern consumer demands for flexibility, sustainability, and convenience, such as their innovative Pick Up & Drop Off (PUDO) points.
Laurens highlighted interesting consumer insights that impact the service evolution of bpost, such as the impact of C2C (Customer to Customer) deliveries and the fact that a substantial part of online shoppers has different delivery preferences versus what online shops give as option.
Conclusion: Forward-Looking Strategies for Smart Retail Networks
The Shaping the Future of Smart Retail Networks event demonstrated that thriving retail networks are customer-centric, data-driven, innovative, and sustainably managed. From Coolblue’s focus on customer happiness to Torfs’ balanced expansion, Standaard Boekhandel’s omnichannel approach, and bpost’s pioneering logistics, all speakers shared complementary visions of retail’s future.
