During the event promoted by Lide, topics such as digitization, high interest rates and technology were presented on panels with businessmen
Under the theme O Futuro do Varejo, the 11th Frum Lide do Varejo brought names such as Luiza Helena Trajano, chairman of the board of directors of Magazine Luiza, Jorge Gonalves, president of the Institute for the Development of Retail (IDV) and Eduardo Monaco, president of ClearSale , to discuss the paths for the sector in the post-pandemic period.
The event, promoted by Lide, took place this Thursday (23), at the Hotel Palcio Tangar, in So Paulo, and, in addition to the names mentioned above, was also attended by Luiz Fernando Furlan, chairman of Lide; João Doria, former governor and co-chairman of Lide; Joo Doria Neto, president of Lide; Marcos Gouva, president of Lide Comrcio, founder and CEO of Gouva EcoSystem; Jorge Lima, economic development secretary of the State of So Paulo and Celia Pompeia, president of Grupo Doria to open the panels and debate.
At this first moment, the speeches permeated the need to place the consumer at the center of the sector’s discussions, as well as the available technologies and the importance of retail for the economic scenario, since the sector is responsible for 20% of the formally employed workers in the country. Brazil, in addition to being the largest employer.
The sector was developed, went through trials and, more than developing, it reinvented itself. Retail needs to be valued, pointed out Marcos Gouva.
Then, in the panel Where is retail going?, Luiza Trajano, Jorge Gonçalves and Eduardo Monaco exposed their points about what are the paths and resolutions that need to happen for the sector to continue on the rise and be relevant in a scenario of informality and competition with Chinese retailers, who sell products duty-free.
According to the president of the IDV, Brazil stopped collecting R$ 460-600 billion in taxes from companies in 2020. The number of workers without registration is high. About 41.8% of people work without registration and this causes harm to the country, which has 40% tax evasion. The first step we have to take is to think about how to improve the issue of registration of the portfolio, said Gonalves.
Luiza Trajano took the time to invite entrepreneurs and retailers to leave for the j, highlighting the importance that retail has for the country as it is the largest national employer, second only to the government. Another point raised by the businesswoman was the rise in interest rates and how this impacts the sector, raising the issue of Chinese retailers.
An interest of 13.75% is not appropriate. We have to, together, define this and leave here with attitude. The consumer does not understand that when he buys in these digital media, they take away jobs. We need to work to lower interest rates. We cannot let this affect retail credit, because we are the ones who move, we are the edge of the market. The country has the potential to collect more, just look at what happens on Black Friday. Why do we sell a lot on the date? Because it lowers the price and increases the volume, argued the president of the Board of Directors of Magazine Luiza.
Another theme addressed during the panel was the digitization of retail, which despite remaining in the physical has increasingly adopted digital, and the importance of providing the best experience for the consumer, avoiding problems such as fraud. According to Eduardo Monaco, digital retail earned BRL 168.7 billion in 2022. Physical retail has become a point of exposure and experience for the customer, but retailing is not for everyone. It has space for all formats, pointed out the president of ClearSale.
Finally, still on digitalization, Jorge Gonalves stated that the movement represented consumer empowerment and that this is irreversible. The Brazilian has learned and likes to buy, this presents a challenge for the company. He wants the product fast and error-free. The physical point became an experience point, while the digital became a fast tool. We need to invest in technology, concluded the president of the IDV.
