Future Retail Lab

The future of trading is sustainable

Today, new demands are being made for a transition for companies in the trade and for companies that are in the borderland between the trade, the visitor and experience industries. This is a consequence of globalisation and digitisation and the currently ongoing Corona pandemic. Factors that contribute to changing conditions for an already heavily challenged industry. Today we see today, for example, how customer and consumer behaviour is changing and that physical and digital stores and other meeting places play new roles for the customer. In order to meet these changing conditions and create a future and sustainable trade and hospitality industry, the need for new knowledge, digital tools and an exploration of new business models is greater than ever.
 
Acceleratorprogrammet eXpression Future Retail Lab gavs för första gången 2019 – 2020 och deltog gjorde 12 drivna företag från den kreativa Umeåregionen i syfte att skapa tillväxt och utvecklas som hållbara företag. I programomgång två som avslutades i mars 2021 deltog 16 bolag från Umeåregionen.
Den sista augusti 2021 startade den tredje programomgången med en heterogen grupp av nya entreprenörer och ägardrivna bolag. Upptagningsområdet för programomgång tre sträcker sig från Örnsköldsvik i söder till Piteå i norr inklusive kranskommuner.
 

Tillsammans med tung expertis i form av forskare, branschexperter och affärsutvecklare utbyts erfarenheter kunskaper inom exempelvis varumärke, digitala strategier och konceptutveckling. Programmet är idag utvärderat, utvecklat och anpassat efter de förutsättningar som följer av rådande pandemi.

The business development program is unique in terms of structure and target group and how it is run through close cooperation between universities, incubators, municipalities, real estate companies, citizens, destination companies and participating companies.

Ansökan till programomgång tre är stängd.

This is the best thing that has happened to Swedish trade! We need new knowledge so that we can move beyond the position and perspectives we have today. It is our only path towards future and sustainable trade.
Simon Nordberg
Simon NordbergCEO Childrenshouse.se
So cruelly inspiring workshop! Full of energy and inspiration. Through Future Retail Lab I get the privilege of meeting the best of the best in retail. What happiness and joy. The fact that I also get to know a whole network of fantastic entrepreneurs in Umeå does not make things worse.
Linn Olofsson
Linn OlofssonOwner
Att få praktisk coaching, inspiration och vägledning av superduktiga entreprenörer har verkligen varit ett lyft och enorm förmån. Ny kunskap, insikter och inte minst det nätverk vi fått genom programmet är något som vi kommer ha enorm nytta av lång tid framöver
Johan Hallberg
Johan HallbergKapten på Eljest
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Application content

    • Strategic brand targeting, communication strategy and PR
    • Business models and external analysis
    • Consumer behaviour and targeting
    • Visualization and sales on web and in-store
    • Company-made social media strategies
    • Statistics and analysis
    • Internationalisation/export maturity
    • Organization, leadership and team building
    • Sustainable production systems for tomorrow's trade, purchasing and logistics
    • Financing and investment strategies for growth
    • Hosting

Who should seek

The program is aimed at new entrepreneurs and owner-driven companies in the trade as well as to companies that are in the borderland between trade, visitor and experience industries where we see increasingly clear industry slides. The aim is to create growth, develop new business models and forms of collaboration.

Selection criteria:

Applicant Companies shall:

  • Be an owner-driven company
  • Be able to spare time corresponding to the program's structure
  • Have existing customers and sales channels (digital ly and/or physically)
  • Have established customer relationships
  • Carry out sustainability work, or have started such a
  • Be able to show growth potential
  • Have a clear target picture of why you are entering the accelerator program

In addition, the applicant should be driven, creative and open to thinking and acting in new ways and show a willingness to co-operate in relation to other participants in the group. We also strive to create a composition of participants with representatives from different industries.

eXpression Future Retail Lab is an initiative together with Svensk Handel through the Foundation Merchant's Ban, Umeå Municipality and is partly financed through EU structural funds.

Start date: 31 Aug 2021

End date: 31 March 2022

Apply now!

FAQ

Våra erfarna affärscoacher hjälper dig gärna att hitta ditt nästa steg. Kontakta någon av dem för att få råd. Vi värnar om dina idéer och tillämpar full sekretess på allt du diskuterar med oss.

You can find our contact information here.

Program participation at eXpression Umeå is free of charge. What we demand of you is your time and commitment*.

However, it is important that you secure an income during your time in the incubator. If you have no employment or income from your company, you can contact our business coaches for financial support advice. You can find contact information here.

*In the Creatives incubator program, we charge for your office space.

In our Incubator program Creatives you have the opportunity to choose from three different office spaces:

  • Clean desk
  • Custom desktop
  • Studio

I de övriga programmen ingår en clean desk-plats och möjligheten finns att hyra ett eget skrivbord eller studio.

To access an office space, you must search and be accepted into one of our programs.

For creators who have applied for and been accepted into our business development programs, we have the opportunity to help creators in several ways, through workshops with experts in certain areas such as marketing, sales, manufacturing process, IPR etc. In addition, we have so-called internationalisation vouchers with the aim of promoting international trade.

We can also help you as a creator to navigate the financing jungle and explore possible financing solutions for your particular idea, innovation or business.

Programme managers

Anna Wikholm

K

Business Developer, Future Retail Lab
+ 46 (0) 70-579 62 87

Annakarin - Wikipedia

Nyberg

Business Developer, Future Retail Lab Program Manager
+ 46 (0) 70-667 94 43

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Our offers
eXpression Umeå's core offering is our business development programs, but we have more to offer. Read more about our offers and environments here.
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