On Monday evening, the 2024 Independent Brands Australia (IBA) Trade Workshop kicked off on the Gold Coast, with General Manager Merchandise and Operations John Barakat welcoming delegates to a drinks reception held at The Star.
Formalities began on Tuesday morning when Barakat and Kylie Wallbridge, Metcash Liquor CEO, introduced the two-day agenda. Wallbridge, who was appointed CEO of Metcash’s liquor division in January this year, opened the workshop by thanking former CEO Chris Baddock for his five-year contribution.
Wallbridge went on to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of IBA and share insights into her first experiences as CEO, stating: “It’s a really diverse business with a strong purpose and it’s been a fantastic five or six months.
“I’ve been continually surprised and impressed with the passion and ideas that our collective organisation brings to life every day, in every corner of Australia. When I talk about our collective organisation, you are all very much part of that. In fact, you are the heart of that.”
Several business sessions took place throughout the day, the first of which invited five retailers to the stage to discuss what it takes to manage an independent business today, in a panel hosted by Adrian Ricci, General Manager NSW/ACT at ALM.
On the panel was Ainslee Hill of Cellarbrations, Craig Waldron of IGA, Scott Armstrong of Maeva Hospitality Group, Jay Shah of Cellarbrations and Porters, and Tony Innes of The Bottle-O, representing NSW, ACT, VIC, QLD, WA, SA and NT, and sharing the experiences that define their bottle shops and customers.
Further business sessions provided updates on everything from operations and ALM Connect, through to marketing initiatives, category insights and Platinum Program.
Retailers also had the opportunity to put their own questions forward during the Q&A session to a panel that comprised Wallbridge, Barakat, Head of Digital Raff Palermo, Head of Marketing Clare Adamiak, National Merchandise Manager Craig Payens, Head of Operations Dianne Rooke and General Manager Strategy and Transformation Rod Pritchard.
Concluding the business sessions was keynote speakers Craig Woolford, David Shukri and Andrew Gerrard, who shared insights on retail, category and shopper trends from MST Marquee, Circana and Shopper Intelligence, before responding to questions from the audience, facilitated by Simon Cleave, Head of Vendor Partnerships.
Rounding out the first day of conferencing, retailers were invited to attend the IBA Trade Festival, where 48 suppliers showcased their offering and shared exclusive details with retailers.
