Schedule & Agenda

Registration & Information Desk

Pick up your registration materials here, along with answers to all your questions.

Government Issues IDs Required.

Breakfast

Please join us for breakfast and networking before the day begins.

Welcome to RILA LINK 2026: The Retail Supply Chain Conference

Kick off LINK with a look at the most pressing demands facing retail supply chain leaders. The omnichannel retail business demands more from its supply chains with new and variable planning cycles, unique partnerships, and personalized store experiences. From end to end, supply chains are more customer-facing and retailers must utilize the leading edge in data analytics, AI, and technology to deliver. Join us to begin the most important conversation in the retail supply chain year.

Market Signals, Customer Shifts, and Capital Decisions

Retail’s landscape is moving in real time—shaped by inflation, interest rates, global shocks, and changing customer behavior. This discussion brings together market, data, and strategy experts to decode how those signals are influencing investment, transformation, and performance across the retail value chain.

Leading Transformation: A Change Management Case Study

External forces may spark change, but culture carries it forward. In this candid case study, hear how an organization restructured teams, reshaped processes, and led with purpose to deliver transformation in real time.

Is Flexible Automation the Key for Future Distribution Operations?

Robotic warehouse automation isn't limited to huge companies. This LT Apparel (brands include adidas kids, Carhartt kids, French Toast) case study will explore how the company used robotic automation to scale operations, added 10,000 SKUs to increase overall order throughput, and managed peak volume without expanding their facility and maintaining flexibility for future growth. Learn how right-sized, blended automation strategies can boost capacity, reduce labor needs, and extend the life of your distribution center.

Harnessing AI for Precision Forecasting in Retail

Join Dollar General to explore the transformative power of AI in retail forecasting and gain insight into how an internal accelerator equipped with machine learning models revolutionized their sales forecasting. Attendees will learn how the company moved from a historical, shipment-based moving average methodology to an AI-driven system, achieving impressive results with over 85% accuracy. Session highlights include how to enhance forecasting accuracy through AI and machine learning, leverage feature engineering and cross-training in predictive models, implement AI-driven forecasting strategies across a large retail network, and optimize inventory management in the retail industry.

From Fragile to Agile: Building Cost-Focused Global Logistics Operations Fit for Disruption

Nearly half of CEOs cite supply chain disruption as their top concern, according to the 2025 AlixPartners Disruption Index, a survey of over 3,000 global executives. This session will explore actionable strategies for logistics organizations to thrive amid unpredictable disruptions, making resilience a core part of daily operations. Retail industry leaders will share insights on building agile inbound logistics flows, implementing cross-functional planning, leveraging detailed flow modeling, diversifying ports and transport modes, crafting adaptive carrier contracts, and optimizing cargo consolidation and deconsolidation—all to stay ahead in today’s fast-moving environment.

From Many to One: How Lowe’s Consolidated Operations and Elevated Performance

Learn how Lowe’s consolidated multi-facility breakpack operations into a single, highly efficient automated hub. The session will unpack the strategies, technologies, and lessons that delivered cost savings, streamlined workflows, and scalable performance across a national retail network.

Strategic Prioritization: How to Prioritize When Everything is Important

In a world where everything feels urgent, how do you decide what truly matters? This session features a panel of retail supply chain leaders bringing real-world stories and discussing practical experiences focused on navigating established supply chains and rebuilding legacy systems. Learn how they prioritized structural improvements over flashy innovations, built cross-functional momentum, and positioned their teams as indispensable partners in driving enterprise-wide transformation.

Business Break

Supply Chain Leaders Council Meeting - Invite Only

This is a private meeting for RILA members on the Supply Chain Leaders Council, composed of the senior-most supply chain leaders from the country’s leading retailers—the executives who oversee supply chain planning/strategy, transportation/logistics, distribution, fulfillment, inventory, sourcing, returns, trade/customs, and more. These leaders are envisioning the supply chains of tomorrow, even as they’re benchmarking on the common challenges of today.

End-to-End Supply Chain Transformation: Breaking Silos for Profitable Growth at Kimberly-Clark

This fireside chat with the executive leading the transformation of Kimberly-Clark’s North American supply chain explores how it is being redesigned to operate end-to-end. The discussion will reveal how they are dismantling cross-enterprise silos to enable fast-paced change and unlock profitable growth. Attendees will gain candid insights on connecting planning and logistics with upstream and downstream functions for real end-to-end impact.

Making Supply Chains Smarter: Unlocking Real-Time Data to Transform Supply Chains

In today’s fast-moving retail landscape, real-time data is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. This session explores how two retailers are building smarter, data-driven supply chains to make better decisions, elevate the customer experience, and improve operational efficiency. Learn how real-time visibility and predictive models are transforming every step of the journey—from inventory and fulfillment to checkout, customer care, delivery, and returns. Discover innovative tools and technologies that streamline operations, reduce risk, and create seamless end-to-end customer experiences—offering practical takeaways to help future-proof your business in an era of rising consumer expectations.

20,000+ Locations, Zero Blind Spots: Subway’s Supply Chain Transformation Story

Discover how Subway and C.H. Robinson revolutionized supply chain agility by unlocking real-time, item-level visibility and dynamic re-distribution across 20,000+ restaurants. Join this session to learn how harnessing advanced data and inventory insights can empower you to outpace disruptions, optimize costs, and transform your own supply chain strategy.

Turn the Tables on Returns: Ask Us Anything About Making Reverse Logistics a Strategic Win

What if your returns process could actually drive profit, reduce waste, and boost customer loyalty? Bring your toughest questions to this interactive AMA-style session with leaders from Blue Yonder, Narvar, and Happy Returns — three companies powering the returns strategies of top retailers. From AI and automation to customer-first experiences, no topic is off limits. Whether you're rethinking your returns strategy or just trying to keep up, this is your chance to get real answers from the people helping retailers transform returns into results.

Closing the Engagement Gap: Building a Workforce That Stays and Performs

Disengagement is more than a morale issue—it’s a financial risk. In this fast-paced session, uncover the hidden costs of a disconnected workforce and hear from leading retailers about real-world strategies to protect your operations and bottom line.

Expo Experience Open

Lunch in the Expo Experience

Tabletalks: Peer-Led Retail Supply Chain Lunch Discussions

Join small-group, 45-minute lunch sessions (5–8 participants) for candid, peer-led conversations on pressing supply chain topics like AI, tariffs, logistics, and disruption. Choose up to two sessions to dive into focused, high-impact dialogue—no panels or lectures, just meaningful peer exchange. All retail and CPG attendees are welcome, and participation is included with registration. Visit the Tabletalks page to learn more.

LINK Connect — The 1:1 Hosted Meetings

Make the most of your time at LINK 2026 with curated 15-minute meetings that connect retailers and CPGs with innovative solution providers. The double-opt-in format ensures conversations are relevant and productive, while participants enjoy exclusive benefits including complimentary registration and travel reimbursement. Visit the LINK Connect Meetings program page to learn more.

Business Break

From Forecast to Fulfillment: Carhartt’s Robotics-Driven Supply Chain Transformation

Carhartt’s rapid growth put extraordinary pressure on its supply chain - demanding smarter planning and faster, more flexible fulfillment. In partnership with DHL Supply Chain, the company has expanded its distribution network and deployed advanced robotics to boost speed and efficiency. This session explores how strategic collaboration, automation, and forward-looking inventory planning are helping Carhartt meet demand today while building a more resilient supply chain for the future.

Gap’s Supply Chain Strategy in Practice

Supply chain strategy is ultimately defined by the decisions leaders make—and how those decisions hold up in execution. Drawing on perspectives from Gap and UPS, this conversation examines how global retailers translate strategy into operational reality, with a focus on sourcing, transportation, network design, and partnership choices. The discussion will explore how leaders prioritize, manage trade-offs, and drive consistent execution in a volatile global environment.

LINK Connect — The 1:1 Hosted Meetings

Make the most of your time at LINK 2026 with curated 15-minute meetings that connect retailers and CPGs with innovative solution providers. The double-opt-in format ensures conversations are relevant and productive, while participants enjoy exclusive benefits including complimentary registration and travel reimbursement. Visit the LINK Connect Meetings program page to learn more.

Expo Experience Reception

Join other conference attendees for this great networking opportunity.

Supply Chain Leaders Council Meetup - Invite Only

Registration & Information Desk

Pick up your registration materials here, along with answers to all your questions.

Government Issues IDs Required.

Breakfast

Please join us for breakfast and networking before the day begins.

Delivering on the Promise of Rural Retail

In regions where reach is harder and stakes are higher, speed and alignment matter most. This session explores how creative sourcing, localized assortments, and tailored distribution models deliver on customer promises while fueling sustainable growth.

The Modern Grocery Supply Chain: Agility, Insight, and Execution

Grocery supply chains operate at the intersection of precision, pace, and people. In this conversation, two senior leaders share how their organizations are modernizing networks, data, and decision-making. From automation and inventory flow to workforce and culture, they’ll explore what it takes to execute with speed and clarity in a business that runs every day, everywhere.

State of the Parcel Carrier Market – Retail Shipper Strategies for Today and into the Future

The parcel carrier market is significantly different today than it was even a few years ago, with changes actively being made that rapidly affect capacity and pricing by major parcel carriers. This session will outline some of the key changes and the state of the overall parcel market today while leading to the guidelines and questions executives have around parcel sourcing. Hear from key logistics professionals and leading retailers who are actively managing these challenging times, and some of the lessons they have learned.

From Buzz to Breakthroughs: Real AI Applications Reshaping Retail Planning and Supply Chain Visibility

AI is no longer optional – it’s a force multiplier reshaping retail logistics from the ground up. In this session, hear from top retailers on how they’re moving beyond theory to apply AI in tangible ways across supply chain visibility, planning, fulfillment, and automation.

Pyramids to Diamonds: Evolving Your Supply Chain Structure

The fast-paced adoption of AI, automation, and digital tools is reshaping the supply chain landscape, driving a transformative shift in the skills, capabilities, and organizational structures required to stay competitive. In this session we will explore how this change impacts existing organization structures, incorporating examples from several leading retailers. In addition, you will hear how universities are approaching the evolution of their supply chain curriculum and recruitment of students to support the talent needs of these new structures.

Targeted in Transit: Leveraging Strategic Alliances to Disrupt Cargo Theft Networks

Organized retail crime has moved upstream, focusing on supply chain weak points where cargo is most vulnerable. Hear how retailers’ multi-agency partnerships and coordination have led to successful takedowns and better prevention. Attendees will walk away with tactics for improving visibility, reporting, and rapid response across jurisdictions.

Duluth Trading Company’s Change Journey: Identifying and Managing Quiet Challenges

Even the strongest transformation initiatives can encounter resistance in unexpected ways. During the rollout of new WMS, OMS, and POS systems across multiple sites, Duluth Trading Company faced challenges familiar to many organizations such as subtle disengagement, quiet workarounds, and communication gaps. In this session, leaders from Duluth Trading Company (a $600M retailer with a nationwide footprint) will share how they recognized and addressed these hidden hurdles. Attendees will gain practical strategies to spot early signs of resistance, create channels for authentic feedback, and empower frontline leaders to champion adoption and ensure small issues don’t grow into major obstacles.

Business Break

Distribution Committee Meeting - Invite Only

This is a private meeting for RILA members on the Distribution Committee composed of the senior-most distribution/fulfillment leaders from the country’s leading retailers.

Are You Smarter Than AI?

Roll up your sleeves for a highly interactive session where you’ll go head-to-head with an AI model and test your skills against artificial intelligence. We’ll demystify how AI works, when to trust it, and how to use it successfully in high-stakes retail logistics. You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at how a leading national outdoor retailer uses the power of AI to expose hidden fraud, waste, and margin leakage that humans alone can't catch. If your organization is shipping at scale, this session will show you exactly where profit is slipping away -- and how AI can help you get it back. Click here to access the dataset.

Beyond the Hype: Real Lessons from a Warehouse Modernization Project

This podcast-style session features a candid conversation with retail executives about what it really takes to modernize a legacy fulfillment center without disrupting day-to-day operations. You'll hear real-world insights on navigating site limitations, managing complex rollouts, and keeping teams aligned through every phase of transformation. Walk away with practical strategies to apply to your own warehouse upgrades.

Store-Based vs Central Fulfillment: Finding the Right Fit for Modern Retail eCommerce

As eCommerce continues to grow, retailers face a critical decision: should they fulfill orders from centralized facilities or leverage their existing store network? This session explores the strategic, operational, and financial implications of Store-Based Fulfillment (SBF) versus Central Fulfillment Centers (CFCs).

Decoding Trade Policy: How Retailers Can Adapt Their Supply Chain Strategies

What do today’s trade policies mean for retail planning and operations? This session breaks down key U.S. trade developments and explores several focus areas including securing trusted supply networks, diversifying sourcing and partners, and improving transparency to identify shortages, bottlenecks, and compliance risks such as rules-of-origin changes. Attendees will leave with a clearer perspective on how trade policy shifts may influence supply chain strategies and planning considerations going forward.

Expo Experience Open

Lunch in the Expo Experience

Tabletalks: Peer-Led Retail Supply Chain Lunch Discussions

Join small-group, 45-minute lunch sessions (5–8 participants) for candid, peer-led conversations on pressing supply chain topics like AI, tariffs, logistics, and disruption. Choose up to two sessions to dive into focused, high-impact dialogue—no panels or lectures, just meaningful peer exchange. All retail and CPG attendees are welcome, and participation is included with registration. Visit the Tabletalks page to learn more.

LINK Connect — The 1:1 Hosted Meetings

Make the most of your time at LINK 2026 with curated 15-minute meetings that connect retailers and CPGs with innovative solution providers. The double-opt-in format ensures conversations are relevant and productive, while participants enjoy exclusive benefits including complimentary registration and travel reimbursement. Visit the LINK Connect Meetings program page to learn more.

Business Break

Preparing for an AI-Driven Supply Chain

AI is beginning to reshape core supply chain workflows — from forecasting and allocation to real-time decision support. Early agentic capabilities are emerging, enabling more autonomous planning, scenario simulation, and faster response to changing demand. This session focuses on the operational choices and capabilities supply chain leaders must build to prepare for an AI-driven retail landscape.

Beyond the Playbook: Leadership Lessons from the Field

When the clock is ticking, the right call can define the outcome. This keynote shares lessons on building culture, inspiring resilience, and leading teams through high-pressure moments—on and off the field.

LINK Connect — The 1:1 Hosted Meetings

Make the most of your time at LINK 2026 with curated 15-minute meetings that connect retailers and CPGs with innovative solution providers. The double-opt-in format ensures conversations are relevant and productive, while participants enjoy exclusive benefits including complimentary registration and travel reimbursement. Visit the LINK Connect Meetings program page to learn more.

Expo Experience Reception

Join other conference attendees for this great networking opportunity.

Registration & Information Desk

Pick up your registration materials here, along with answers to all your questions.

Government Issues IDs Required.

Breakfast

Please join us for breakfast and networking before the day begins.

Women in Supply Chain Workshop: Strategic Influence Without the Title - How To Effectively Lead at Every Level

Leadership isn't about titles—it's about influence. In this interactive 90-minute workshop, participants will learn how to lead confidently from any role by applying empathetic leadership, building trust, and communicating with clarity to drive meaningful change. Attendees will gain tools to navigate resistance, gain buy-in, and use relational intelligence to move ideas, teams, and changes forward. Whether you’re early in your career or an experienced professional without a leadership title, you’ll walk away with a renewed sense of leadership purpose and a framework for leading boldly and authentically. This complimentary workshop is limited to 100 participants. Pre-registration is required.