One of the activities organized by the UPF Barcelona School of Management to promote collaboration with the world of business was the Challenge “The challenge for the food sector: how physical store chains can make e-commerce profitable”, which recently brought together 20 students from different UPF-BSM programs (MBA Full Time, Master’s Degree in Marketing, Master’s Degree in International Business, and Master’s and Postgraduate Degree in Brand Management).
There were two main objectives in the Challenge: on the one hand, that the students, divided into five teams of four people each, try to respond to the question of whether it is profitable for a food store to open an e-shop using real cases such as the companies Ametller Origen and Condis; and on the other hand, to establish ties and bring UPF-BSM students closer to the realities of the Retail sector, while applying concepts and developing skills already acquired.
This is an activity organized jointly by two UPF-BSM Chairs: the Chair of Future Scenarios for Retail, directed by Josep-Francesc Valls, and the Mercadona Chair of Circular Economy, directed by Carolina Luis Bassa.
The activity was carried out in two sessions of two and a half hours each. In the first session, the invited companies presented their business models and their problems, and the challenge was raised with the participation of representatives of the following companies:
In the second session, participants presented their proposals in 15-minute presentations. Then, a panel evaluated them and selected the two teams with the most innovative and viable proposals.
The panel was composed of professors Dr Carolina Luis Bassa, Dr Susana Domingo and Dr Josep-Francesc Valls, and three guest businesspeople: the General Director of Condis, Manel Romero; the General Director of Ametller Origen, Roberto Gómez; and the CEO of VTEX, Daniel Viana.
The winners were the two teams made up of:
GRUP 1:
GRUP 2:
The prize was also food, of course, and consisted of a dinner at Casa Seat for all the winners, which took place on 13 January 2023.