Top SL retailers successfully complete Retail Mastery Program hosted by 3WC and GRA

The first Retail Mastery Program held in Sri Lanka came to a successful close on the 9 February. Organised by 3W Consulting, Sri Lanka’s leading enterprise renewal and management consultants, together with the Global Retail Academy (GRA), the two-day program took place at the Crystal Ballroom of Taj Samudra in Colombo. 

The aim of the Retail Mastery Program was to drive thought leadership and top retail talent in Sri Lanka, offering internationally recognised training and qualifications for Sri Lanka’s retail professionals. The program was the first event of the Retail Black Belt Series – an international qualification for retail professional. 

The program was conducted by two of the world’s most influential retail gurus and supply chain experts, Prakash Menon and Andrew Cavanagh, featuring sessions on three primary topics consisting of Retail Strategy, Retail Metrics and Merchandise Planning. 

The program was recognised and attended by top retailers in Sri Lanka including companies such as Jaykay Marketing (Keells), Richard Peiris, Singer, Super Colloids Lanka, Whittall Boustead Ltd., Phoenix, Hameedias, Cool Planet, Avirate, Dialog, Dilmah, Hemas, Hettigoda Industries and Dipped Products. Participants from these organizations will now be eligible to claim the ‘Green Belt in Retail’ accredited by the Global Retail Academy following the completion of a post-program assignment.

Speaking about the program, Menon stated: “This program offers participants the tools and techniques to enhance their retail workspace and is structured in such a way that they can take the learnings back to their teams and impart the knowledge they’ve gained within their organisations. The course work doesn’t end in two days; participants need to go back to work and put into practice what they have learnt, over the next couple of months, and report back on the results, the impact, the challenges, etc. through an assignment. 

“We are not trainers, we’re practitioners. The objective of the program is to empower the organisation’s retail workforce to contribute towards the growth of their organisations, whilst enhancing the participant’s personal growth and performance.  Driving top line sales and bottom line profit is a challenge today, and retailers are struggling across the globe facing competition in the form of online retailing which is experiencing a seismic change. Retail companies need to be proactive, agile and flexible so that they can survive in the industry.”

Cavanagh also commented on GRA’s partnership with 3W Consulting: “We want to reach out to as many retailers across the globe, and to achieve this we have to make sure we get the right partners to help us. When it comes to our partner in Sri Lanka - 3W Consulting, we’ve seen the same vision and passion that we have at GRA and it has been an honor to partner with them in this venture. 3WC has been critical in connecting Sri Lanka’s top retail space to our Black Belt in Retail Program.”

All retailers who wish to register for a repeat program of the Green Belt in Retail can register on the 3WC website at www.3rdwaveconsulting.com and the dates for the next program leading to the Black Belt in Retail will be announced in due course. The Black Belt in Retail book series is also available for purchase at 3W Consulting.