On Tuesday 18 February, stakeholders in urban development and commerce gathered in Sundsvall to be inspired and participate in a workshop and discussions on sustainable commerce for the future. The conversation on retail is part of the knowledge sharing and experience exchange that takes place within the framework of the accelerator programme eXpression Future Retail Lab and was carried out in collaboration with Bizmaker Sundsvall, Sundsvall Handel and Stadsutveckling Sundsvall and Stenstan.
Sundsvall, or Stenstan which is a designation of the central parts of the city has a centre that they the last few years from an empty centre to a centre with more and more restaurants. On the other hand, many shops continue to move from the city centre in favour of the external shopping area Birsta, where IKEA is located. The fact that the restaurants survive and not the shops explains one of the participants by the fact that they have clear concepts and brands and provide a unique experience to the visitor.
There is a clear pride in the city centre and the participants feel that the negative about trade in the city centre is being removed and there is a belief in the future of a town centre with more life and movement where new players replace old ones.
The day ended with workshop leader Magnus Ohlsson from We Hunt for Heads summarized what can actually do for a future sustainable trade:
- Solve a problem (e.g. Claes fixer)
- Have a nice store, offer experience
- Creating new service offerings through partnerships
- Create the desire to test
- Creating opportunities for the circular economy
- Understanding the customer's buying process
eXpression Future Retail Lab is an initiative together with the Swedish Retail Federation via the Swedish Merchants' Association Foundation and is also part-financed by the EU's structural funds. A pilot round of the accelerator programme is currently being carried out in Umeå, and the application for a national intake has already been opened up. The national programme will start in August 2020.
Want to know more? Contact Anna Wikholm Kjellberg
