(from left) Quincy Au, Emma Yiu and Lia Woo
The team proposed an innovative start-up in fashion retailing, which features a cutting-edge recruitment strategy and a dynamic work experience plan.
Profs. Joanne Yip (1st from left), Hau-Ling Chan (1st from right) and Ms Joy Xu, Group Chief People & Culture Officer of DFI Retail Group (formerly known as Dairy Farm International) (3rd from right) show their support to the students in London.
Three BA programme students, Au Che-yiu Quincy, Woo Sin-yu Lia and Yiu Ching-yau Emma proudly represented PolyU at the Future Retail Challenge of the World Retail Congress in London (UK) in May 2025. The competition is the highlight of the World Retail Congress event, which aims to inspire and shape the next generation of retail talent by bridging academic knowledge with real-world applications. The students embarked on this international journey under the supervision of Profs. Magnum Lam and Hau-Ling Chan who provided invaluable mentorship and guidance.
The competition required the student teams to devise practical and robust solutions to the pressing issue of attracting and retaining Gen Z workers in the retail sector. The PolyU team proposed an innovative start-up in fashion retailing, which features a cutting-edge recruitment strategy and a dynamic work experience plan. Recognising the impact of technology, they integrated social media to enhance customer contact and offered Gen Z employees greater freedom, more room for creativity, and opportunities for professional growth. Their vision for the future of retailing emphasised the 3R principles: Re-refine, Re-organise, and Re-connect, as the essential strategies for success in this competitive landscape.
This year, the PolyU team competed against students from five other universities, including the EDHEC Business School (France), ESCP Business School – Turin campus (Italy), London College of Fashion (UK), Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (Saudi Arabia), and the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands).
The World Retail Congress connects influential leaders, executives, technology experts, stakeholders, and academics from around the globe to explore opportunities and tackle challenges within the retail sector.
Profs. Lam and Chan would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to Mr Anthony Keung, President & CEO of Fenix Group Holdings Ltd, Profs. Joanne Yip and Chu-Po Ho, for their valuable advice and support to the team.
