Course Name
Retail Management and Strategy (IN-PERSON)
Schedule
May 27, 2025 - May 28, 2025
Tuesday - Wednesday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Venue: Ateneo de Manila University - Salcedo Campus
Early Eagle Rate:
Php 15,000
Valid Until:
May 14, 2025
Description
Has Brick and Mortar died? In the US, the shopping mall phenomenon has been dying for many years, with many well-renowned labels declaring bankruptcy. In the Philippines, the pandemic accelerated the adoption of online retailing overnight, and has made a tough and competitive traditional retail environment even more challenging. In the last decade, the retail industry in the Philippines experienced a boom period, with new shopping mall developments opening in just about every corner of Metro Manila and provincial cities. It was enough for aspiring and existing retailers to simply ensure that they have a general knowledge of basic retail management skills to operate a retail store. In the post-pandemic years, retail experienced a resurgence as Filipinos returned en masse to shopping in malls. Today, with the effects of online/social media, new emergent technologies such as generative AI, and an over-all shift in consumer buying behaviors locally, it is no longer enough to simply ‘know the basics’. Where are we headed, and how can existing retail businesses address these changes in the industry?
Our four-module introductory course design examines the various intricacies of the local retail industry, with particular focus on developing key strategies for effectively managing a retail business. It aims to equip retail business owners and retail managers with additional general management skills to adapt to this new environment, and to spot new growth opportunities in an otherwise disruptive economy.
Who should attend
Existing and start-up retail business owners, upper to senior level managers in retail organizations who are the key decision makers in their companies, as well as participants who are planning on opening a retail business. Primarily, the class will be most helpful to those who are responsible in crafting, implementing, and evaluating retail strategies for their companies.
• Be able to identify and understand aspects of various retail businesses that need to be adapted to the next normal
• Based on data and analysis gathered, propose new strategies to retail businesses for the short and medium term
• Create a feasible and realistic action plan, with special focus on contingency plans to quickly adapt to dynamic changes in the market
MODULE 1: GLOBAL AND PHILIPPINE RETAIL TRENDS
• We start the first module using a macroeconomic approach to recent retail trends globally, particularly on the continued effects of the pandemic on the business model of various retail types.
• We define what today’s ‘Next Normal Retail’ is, sift through various studies related to changes in the retail industry, and analyze how specific retail businesses adapted to these changes.
• We study closely two seemingly opposing phenomena in retail: the ‘death’ of the shopping mall model and online retail.
• We discuss in detail the next normal customer shopper journey.
MODULE 2: RETAIL STRATEGY FUNDAMENTALS
• We take a deep dive on Barbara Khan’s ‘Retailing Success Matrix’ and Lewis and Dart’s ‘Strategic Operating Principles of Retail Success’ – two basic fundamentals of retail strategy
• We discuss the retail industry’s critical success factors, and how these have remained basically consistent despite the evolution of the industry
• We also discuss other management theories, such as Michael Porter’s five forces, to understand the retail industry’s position in the next normal.
MODULE 3: RETAIL STRATEGIC PLANNING – UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
• We look closely at the profile and behavior of the retail customer, across specific demographics and nationalities. How can understanding different customer profiles improve our retail offer?
• We discuss how brick-and-mortar and online triggers can enhance the shopping experience, leading to higher turnover and customer loyalty.
Module 4: DRIVING RETAIL PROFITABILITY
• How do we effectively measure retail profitability? We study various Key Performance Indicators that are essential in understanding the performance of retail businesses.
• We focus on the concept of ‘continuous improvement’ and ‘agility’ in order to develop flexible action plans in response to changes in the industry.
• We propose meaningful changes in the direction of your own existing retail businesses, or create successful plans to launch your new retail business.
Mr. Hans Clifford Yao is CEO and Managing Director of the Washington and Adrenaline Group of Companies, distributors and retailers of several international brands in the Philippines.
He has experience managing various retail formats in non-food, food, and specialty retail categories. He is also a retail consultant to several new retail start-up businesses on prototype and brand development. He is also a part-time lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila Graduate School of Business, teaching Strategic Management and Retail Management Strategy.
Mr. Yao earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management (Honors program) from the Ateneo de Manila University, and his Masters in Business Administration from the University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business. He also recently obtained a Diploma in Strategy and Innovation at the University of Oxford Said School of Business
