Rethinking Retail: Highlights from Our CEOs Roundtable with Christos Karagiannakis

Last week, Endeavor hosted a thought-provoking CEOs Roundtable Breakfast featuring Christos Karagiannakis, CEO of Kotsovolos (PPC Group). With over 15 years at Kotsovolos, spanning roles from Chief Operations Officer to CEO, Christos has been at the forefront of digital transformation, customer experience, and growth in one of Greece’s largest retail companies.

From Ownership to Usage: A New Retail Paradigm

During the vibrant discussion which focused on “The Future of Retail: Redesigning the Customer Experience”, Christos described how retail is shifting from an ownership-based model to one focusing on usage and habits. Just as consumers are moving from owning cars to leasing them based on their daily needs, household appliances and electronics are likely to follow the same trend. People will pay for performance, energy efficiency, and experience rather than the physical product itself.

This transition demands a fundamental rethink of pricing models, supply chains, and customer relationships, moving from one-off transactions to long-term service-based experiences.

Digital Transformation: Beyond Omnichannel

When asked by participants what “digital transformation” truly means at Kotsovolos, Christos described their Digital Twin strategy - creating exact virtual replicas of stores to track layouts, product placements, and customer flows in real time. This approach allows the company to adjust store setups more quickly, make data-driven decisions across their 50,000+ SKUs, and create a seamless experience between online and physical channels.

A key takeaway was Kotsovolos’ unique approach to AI. Rather than viewing AI as an external tool, Christos sees it as an integral “assistant employee” within the company, who comes to empower people — not to replace them. “AI is not a tool. It’s a human resource” he emphasised. “We don’t just implement AI solutions; we recruit AI agents, onboard them, train them, advance them, and we evaluate them too.” 

Brand Reputation in an AI-Driven World

Perhaps the most striking reflection was on how AI shapes brand perception. One participant asked how is it possible to ensure that their brand is recommended in an era of algorithmic decision-making. As Christos explained: “We are shifting from brand promise to brand reputation. Your brand is no longer what you say it is - it is what the customer sees. AI looks at everything, from reviews to how you treat your employees.”

Christos also made a pertinent warning. That as consumers increasingly rely on AI to summarise brands, companies must invest in building authentic, consistent reputations across all touchpoints. AI will not be swayed by superficial campaigns – it will recommend brands based on holistic trustworthiness.

Building for the Next Chapter

Kotsovolos, having more than doubled its turnover from €300 million in 2013 to nearly €800 million today, is now shifting focus on what comes after growth. According to the company’s CEO, this means reimagining retail experiences with AI at the core and preparing the business for rapidly shifting consumer habits. In Christos’ own words: “When you start from a low base, everything is easy. Now we have to find what’s next. So this chair feels a bit more electric than the previous one.”

At Endeavor, we create these spaces for honest, forward-looking conversations. The future of retail - and every sector - will belong to leaders who see technology not as a shortcut, but as an organisational capability, and who build brands that AI and humans trust.