The future has caught up with retail: shopping online, avoiding shops, paying contactlessly, and consuming better and differently are no longer things that people will do "sometime in the future". They are doing them now. The Covid-19 pandemic is a time machine for retail.

Cities are feeling this particularly strongly. Boutiques remain closed, department stores are disappearing, and gastronomy options are in short supply. The symbiosis of retail and urban life is changing. To remain attractive and profitable, a new mix of offers is needed. Social distancing, the delivery economy and the return of urban production will be the key factors.

The 70th International Retail Summit will tackle the following questions:

• An urban lifestyle needs retail, and shopping needs passers-by. Or do they? Prestige Buildings vs. Container stores: is the rise of small formats unstoppable?
  
• Prestige Buildings vs. Container stores: is the rise of small formats unstoppable? More hurry on the last mile: how do you get delivery under control?
  
• Where does retail still have control over its customers? Which touchpoints will remain in the customer journey? Central vs. decentralized: is production returning to cities?
  
• How do you lead the new heroes on the sales floor, and those who are working from home?
  
• What will remain after the crisis, and what is only temporary?