The retailers come to Stockholm

The 4th Global DIY Summit 2016 in Stockholm in June is heading for a record number of retail trade delegates: over 260 top managers from retail companies worldwide have already (April 2016) registered, more than at any previous conference. All the big companies and market leaders such as Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace Hardware, Groupe Adeo, Kingfisher, Bunnings, Obi and Sodimac will be there, along with regional DIY store chains such as Byggmax, Cashbuild, Kohnan or Petrovich.
All in all the organisers - the international retailer and manufacturer associations Edra/Ghin and Fediyma - are expecting an attendance surpassing last year's record figure, when 750 delegates came to London. A group of 45 participants from Asia alone will be present this year, drawn from Japan, Taiwan, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Indonesia.
The list of speakers reads like a Who's Who of the international DIY and garden sector. Véronique Laury, CEO of Kingfisher, has been announced as top keynote speaker and will appear on the first day. High-calibre speakers from online businesses are also appearing, with presentations on the second day by John Gerosa, retail director of Google, and Kris Beyens, COO of Ebay International AG/VP Operations Europe Middle East and Africa. The managing director of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, Maria Rankka, will give the welcome address.

Prof. Klaus Fischer is to receive the 4th Global DIY-Lifetime Award. The award, which is bestowed by the international retailing and manufacturing associations Edra/Ghin and Fediyma, will be presented at a gala dinner during the 4th Global DIY Summit on 8 June 2016.Since 1980, Prof. Klaus Fischer has been the proprietor and CEO of Fischer Holding GmbH & Co. KG, the globally active German manufacturer of wall plugs. He has worked in the DIY industry for over 40 years. During this time, according to the citation, he has been a key contributor to the amazing development of his company and the transformation of the industry.Fischer also holds the German First Class Federal Cross of Merit and the DIY Lifetime Award given by the German industry association BHB and Dähne Verlag.He is accepting the award "on behalf of all my employees…