Paco Underhill, the world?s ?only retail anthropologist? will be the highlight of Retail 2005, the annual conference on retail and retailing activity organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The day-long conference, scheduled for July 14, will have four sessions. Session I will see Underhill address retailers on issues such as understanding customer needs, change in consumption pattern, customer experience and creation of a comfortable shopping experience.

In Session II, he will speak on mall and infrastructure, highlighting leadership issues, retail culture, key populations, in-store communication and 21st Century retail tools.

The third session will see the release of East India Retail Report 2010 & Beyond, compiled by CII and Images, followed by an address by state urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya.

The final session will feature a Q&A with Underhill. Participants will include industry leaders such as Vikram Bakshi from McDonald?s India, Kishore Biyani from Pantaloon, B.S. Nagesh from Shoppers? Stop and Darshan Mehta from Arvind Brands.

?We are proud to bring Paco Underhill to Calcutta. He is the author of Why We Buy and Call of the Mall, considered to be bibles by retailers,? said Rahul Saraf, convener of the conference and managing director of Forum.

The American also advises Fortune 100 companies on behaviour and motivations of consumers through his research and consulting firm Envirosell. This will be his first visit to the city.

Top retailers, real estate developers and retail management consultants are expected to attend Retail 2005.