The Asia Pacific Retailers Convention & Exhibition (APRCE) is a biennial event organized by the member associations of FAPRA. This event has become Asia’s biggest and longest running retail convention and exhibition, providing an important networking and knowledge sharing platform for all the retailers in the region.

Origins and Development of APRCE

　In June 1980, the Japan Retailers Association (JRA), in collaboration with the National Retail Merchants Association(NRMA, now the National Retail Federation), co-hosted the 7th World Retailers Conference in Tokyo at Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City. This was the first global retail conference ever held in Asia, drawing 941 leading retailers from 23 countries and concluding with great success.

　Following the conference, recognizing the importance of supporting the development of the retail industry in the rapidly growing Asia region, discussions commenced on establishing a dedicated regional forum. This led to the planning of the inaugural the Asian Retailers Convention & Exhibition .

Inaugural Conference Held in Tokyo

　In 1983, the first Asian Retailers Convention & Exhibition was held in Tokyo at Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City with participation from 660 delegates representing 11 countries and regions. Since then, the convention has been held biennially in various member countries and regions. In 2007, reflecting the inclusion of Oceania countries, the event was renamed the Asia Pacific Retailers Convention & Exhibition (APRCE). Over the years, APRCE has evolved into one of the world's premier international retail conventions, with increasing participation from countries and delegates.

Host Country/Region Selection Process

The host country for each APRCE is determined three years in advance during the Heads of Delegation (HoD) meeting of the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Associations (FAPRA), where representatives from member countries and regions vote to select the host.

History of the APRCE

• https://japan-retail.or.jp/english/history/

Previous Host Countries and Regions

（*1）Since the Tokyo conference in 2007, countries from Oceania have also participated, and the name of the conference was subsequently changed from the 'Asia Retailers Convention' to the 'Asia-Pacific Retailers Convention'

（*2）In consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 20th convention was held in a hybrid format.