Event details
- Hosted by Geolytix
- Date: 3rd July 2025
- Time: 5.30pm for registration. Presentations start at 6pm
- Geolytix, Office 117 | The Finsbury Business Centre | 40 Bowling Green Lane | London | EC1R 0NE
Introduction
We would like to extend a huge thank you to our hosts and sponsors Geolytix, who welcomed us all to their offices in London. Thanks also to our speakers who all gave their time for free to share their wisdom.
Over 50 delegates joined us to explore the Global challenges facing the location planning industry. Our speakers, from different industries and countries of the world shared their experiences, advice and findings on the differences between countries around the world.
What will I get from attending?
- This session will reignite my passion for location planning by showing me new things outside my everyday.
- Make me commercially/technically aware of what is going on elsewhere
- Inform me of new techniques/approaches/data I can apply in my work.
- My company has global presence – I want to influence how location planning is done across my wider business, how do other companies set themselves up?
- I’d like an adventure, what’s the possibility of being a location planner abroad?
Agenda
- 5.30pm – Registration
- 6.00pm – Academic Insights – Innovations in other countries from Alex Singleton, University of Liverpool
- 6.15pm – Managing location planning for multiple markets from Adelina Oprita, Yum Brands
- 6.30pm – 6.30pm – Managing location insights for global designer outlets from Will Minnett, McArthurGlen Group
- 6.45pm – Experiences of location planners overseas. Career journey, challenges and key experiences as an overseas location planner.
- Kate Broad, National Location Planning Manager at Coles
- Tom Brown, Director Market Planning, Store Development & Design / Asia Pacific, Starbucks Coffee Company
- Coco Lin, Shanghai Geolytix
- 7.00pm – Innovation in global data/techniques from Blair Freebairn, Director of Geolytix
- 7.20pm – Refreshments and networking at Finsbury Business Centre.
Photos from the event
Member’s area
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A huge thanks to all our speakers.
Speaker Biographies
Alex Singleton
Professor of Geographic Information Science,
Director of the Geographic Data Service
University of Liverpool
Alex is Professor of Geographic Information Science at the University of Liverpool. His research bridges social and computational sciences, specialising in geographic data science, urban analytics, geodemographic classification, and the use of AI and machine learning for public policy applications. He is Director of the ESRC Geographic Data Service, Director of the ESRC Data Analytics & Society Centre for Doctoral Training; and lead for the University of Liverpool ESRC Impact Accelerator Account. Alex has led or co-led research grants exceeding £30m, with significant contributions in developing open-source data products widely used in academia and industry. Recognised for his impactful work, he received the Royal Geographical Society’s Cuthbert Peek Award and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He remains actively engaged in outreach, promoting open science and accessible data-driven methodologies.
Adelina Orpita
Market Planning Manager
KFC Western Europe
Here is a short paragraph for my biography : Leading market planning for KFC across 11 countries in Western Europe, focusing on strategic expansion, data-driven site selection, and cross-market growth.
Over 10 years of experience in real estate and development on both the franchisee and franchisor sides, including work with brands like Burger King and Starbucks.
Focused on connecting analysis with execution, guiding external partners, and turning complex market data into clear, actionable decisions that support confident growth.
Kate Broad
National Location Planning Manager
Coles, Australia
Kate has 23 years’ experience in location planning, GIS and Network Strategy planning. She has worked within the retail banking, real estate and leisure industries and her strengths include creating and project managing an end-to-end process to create a right size and format store portfolio that continually evolves and meets the needs of both customers and business alike. Kate joined the SLA during her time at TSB to initially provide insight from a service industry perspective. She has now worked at Coles in Australia for two years in their Location Planning department where she manages a team and plans their national strategy. She enjoys being part of a team promoting the different aspects of location analysis and its importance within wider industry.
Coco Lin,
Project Director
Geolytix Shanghai
Coco has over 20 years’ experience in research and analysis, including retail network planning at Tesco China and real estate market research at Cushman & Wakefield. She is also an RICS member with both vision of development feasibility and understanding of the market environment in APAC region.
Blair Freebairn
Director
Geolytix, UK
Blair has built gravity models for 10 of the 15 largest retailers the last 20 years. Previously head of analytics at MapInfo UK, in September 2011 he took the plunge, and set up his own business focused on helping businesses solve problems where location matters – GEOLYTIX was born.
Tom Brown
Director Market Planning, Store Development & Design / Asia Pacific
Starbucks Coffee Company
Tom began his career in location planning with Tesco in the UK and has spent the past two decades based in East Asia.
Over the years, he has built and led teams responsible for shaping store network strategies across a variety of sectors—including supermarkets, sports retail with adidas, and coffee with Starbucks.
He works with both internal stakeholders and external partners to develop GIS systems and tools that help businesses make smarter location decisions. Tom is especially passionate about crafting strategies that reflect the rich diversity of consumer behavior and real estate dynamics across the Asia Pacific region.
Please email info@thesla.org if you have any questions.