The sector discusses cooperation, consumer and digitalisation

Cooperation between retailers and manufacturers, the strong position of the customer as king and queen and the possibilities opened up by modern technologies, digitalisation and big data even to the bricks-and-mortar trade were the topics on which the 6th Global DIY Summit focused yesterday. In his opening statement, Edra president and Obi CEO Sergio Giroldi spoke of the strong base that such cooperation has in the international DIY and garden sector.A very lively and interesting panel discussion, for example, took place on this occasion, large parts of which were devoted to the subjects of digitalisation and cooperation. "It's about strategic partnership," stressed Véronique Laury, CEO of Kingfisher. However, an audible murmur ran through the audience when she spoke about how Kingfisher "uses our scale" to cut costs in purchasing.Among other things, the Startup Arena programme item presented a picture of the technologies that are already available or could be available to retailers. Six young companies presented their solutions here, which are already fully developed and ready for deployment. The Global DIY Summit in Barcelona draws to a close today.