On Friday, eXpression Umeå, with its initiative Future Retail Lab, invites you to talk about Umeå's trade and future urban development. Umeå's business manager Peter Juneblad will be taking part, along with Mona Lidén, centre manager for Utopia Shoping, and three entrepreneurs who have managed to defy the effects of the pandemic. The panel discussion is part of an ongoing initiative to explore and develop innovative business models, experimental customer experiences and new collaborations. The live broadcast will be hosted by Annakarin Nyberg, business developer at eXpression Umeå. 

The line-up of teams we meet in the panel discussion reflects the powerful constellation of owner-operated companies and new retail entrepreneurs who are working with us to understand the sustainable retail of the future, including universities, municipalities, city centre companies, real estate companies and citizens," says Annakarin Nyberg, programme manager for the business development programme Future Retail Lab at eXpression Umeå. 

The demand for new approaches to trade has been around for a long time and the corona pandemic has accelerated this further. Early on, the combination of daring to try new things and breaking norms proved to be successful factors in the transition needed to meet the new normal. Umeå has several good examples of entrepreneurs who have gone against the tide. 

The only thing we can be sure of is that everything is always changing. Our ways of acting, communicating and experiencing look very different today than they did just a few years ago. The impact of the pandemic has been widespread and difficult to predict, while at the same time changing behaviours create entirely new opportunities. Those entrepreneurs who dare to take on the challenges and manage to get the demand right are the ones who will succeed. We are already seeing the effects of this," says Peter Juneblad, head of business at Umeå municipality. 

In addition to Peter Junebland will Utopia Shopping's center manager Mona Lidén will be on the live broadcast, along with three companies that have managed to transform and find ways forward despite the onslaught of the coronas pandemic. These are classic H&H in Hörnefors, which among other things has carried out digital fashion shows and offers facetime shopping, as well as the Fantasia and Meretes eco-shop both found in central Umeå - two companies that have dared to try something new and succeeded.  

All perspectives are important to manage the sectoral transformation that has been greatly accelerated in 2020 and further complicated by the corona pandemic. It is important to be involved in creating the conditions for individual companies to evolve," notes Annakarin Nyberg. 

The call will be held in the eXpression PoP-in in the MVG gallery - one of several strategic initiatives undertaken in the framework of the Future Retail Lab. The space is the result of a collaboration with property owner MOFAB and serves as a testing ground for the future of retail with the ambition to allow new creative concepts to have the space and opportunity to drive development forward. 

Livestream

"Strong brands and retail cheer - a prerequisite for the sustainable trade of the future?" broadcast live on facebook, Friday 27 November at 12:00.

Link to the stream can be found here. 

For more information: 

Annakarin Nyberg 
annakarin.nyberg@expressionumea.se 
070-667 94 43