Billed as Asia’s biggest and longest running retail convention, the Asia Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition or APRCE is a major project of the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Associations (FAPRA). Composed of 17 national retail associations in Asia Pacific, the FAPRA includes a diverse range of member countries including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Mongolia, Fiji, and Turkey.
Every two years, FAPRA members vote for a member association to host a grand gala event and a three-day retail exposition. Recognized as one of the most important emerging economies in the region, the Philippines, through the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) was bestowed the honor to host the 17th Asia Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibit to be held at the SMX Convention Center, Manila on October 28 to 30 2015.
As one of the country’s most recognized national organization of retailers and suppliers, the PRA, which counts among its members all the major players in the retail and suppliers sector such as including SM Shoemart, Robinsons, Ayala, Bench, Mercury Drug, Penshoppe, Shopwise, Rustan’s, National Bookstore, Celine Group, as well as the country’s top developers a technology companies, e.g. Megaworld, Araneta Center, IBM, HP, SAP, ACER, among others, will be tasked with the mission to discover new approaches to the latest issues facing the region’s retailers.
Headlining the theme of “Asia Fast Forward,” this year’s APRCE will highlight the region’s growing strength as an economic community. As it is, the Asia Pacific region accounts for 60% of the world’s population with an estimated 4 billion people, making it a top destination for global retail chains. Moreover, Price Waterhouse Coopers reports that retail sales volume in Asia Pacific has been growing at a rate of 6% since 2013 and will maintain this upward momentum until 2016 with an estimated market work of US$11.8 trillion. Furthermore, the recent Nielsen Global Consumer Survey reveals that Asia Pacific is leading in global consumer confidence since the last quarter of 2013 making it the only region that has gained in consumer confidence, increasing four points from same period last 2012.
As the Asian Pacific community begins to converge and enhance its presence in the global field, there is no better time than now to exhaust all means to ride with the current of change and take the leap to progress and development. At the 17th APRCE, local retailers who are looking to expand their business horizon and augment their knowledge can benefit greatly from this highly anticipated retail event.
To know more about the upcoming APRCE, visit www.2015APRCEMANILA.com.ph.
