EuroShop in every way lived up to its reputation as the biggest and most innovative “Global Retail Festival.”
The event in Düsseldorf, Germany featured 81,000 visitors from 141 countries and 1,840 exhibitors from 61 nations. All who wandered the floors easily eclipsed the 10,000-step benchmark over five days.
Of course, the Miller Zell team on hand were all in the daily 20,000-step range. That’s how we roll. Here are our key takeaways.
AI was everywhere, with several presentations overflowing with vigorous notetakers. Yes, some of the presentations were mostly superficial, but others demonstrated right-now value.
A presentation from Rethink Retail noted that a Nvidia survey found that “89% of retailers said AI is helping increase annual revenue,” and “95% said it’s helping cut costs.”
These unambiguous numbers certainly matched their descriptions of AI shifts in retail, “from pilots to scale” and “from hype to accountability.”
Further, a presentation from RELEX on agentic AI, “From Siloed to Unified,” provided specifics on how AI touches just about every store need and experience at the customer, associate and executive level.
(Photo: Messe Düsseldorf / Tillmann)
For example, agentic AI can intervene in self-checkout errors through smart cameras, flagging missed scans and allowing the customer to self-correct rather than alerting a human employee. That cuts both shrink and labor costs simultaneously, and here’s a guess that associates reducing their moments of customer confrontation won’t be something that makes them unhappy.
The most compelling store concepts didn’t hide human workers behind screens. They used AI to handle the mundane so staff could handle support, engagement and relationships. The winning strategy for 2026 is deploying invisible, seamless tech to elevate human-centric hospitality.
(Photo: Messe Düsseldorf / Tillmann)
High-def and large screens once limited to metropolitan flagship stores are becoming normalized as architectural hardware to deploy at scale, while translucent LED walls are increasingly used for storefront glazing for retailers, banks and restaurants. They can be integrated into millwork, trim rings, ceilings (“clouds”), walls, bars and fixtures, and the quality is so high that the chances of the technology becoming outdated quickly are unlikely.
These mixed-media environments were everywhere, whether the vendor was selling digital integration, merchandising displays or grocery store refrigeration. Strong executions combined print, laminate, corrugate, acoustic materials and integrated lighting, while SEG displays also are advancing in terms of flexibility, range of use and quality.
Differentiation is shifting away from the physical screen to content strategy and the enabling software. And, yes, this is an area where AI integration will become commonplace.
(Photo: Messe Düsseldorf / Tillmann)
While political and economic winds shift on a regular basis, EuroShop made clear that pursuing sustainability remains a central business goal, both for retailers and vendors.
Whether it was celebrating energy-efficient technologies or sustainable, recyclable material selection, a significant number of presentations and vendors directly addressed their ongoing efforts and future plans. The standout fixtures were high-quality and circular. We saw acoustic wall panels spun from recycled clothing waste and visual merchandising mannequins molded from biodegradable recycled paper.
Ultimately, the message was simple and matched Miller Zell’s position: environmental awareness and a pursuit of waste and energy-use reduction can be combined with aesthetic and functional store design.
(Photo: Messe Düsseldorf / Tillmann)
How did many diverse vendors attract “customers” walking the long halls of EuroShop? Food and drink and fun, hospitality vibes.
Bar themes, lounge aesthetics and lifestyle cues were everywhere at EuroShop, typically under large and dynamic LED screens with engaging high-def content, and these screens could be on the bar or within flooring or flowing across cubes or globes that were just plain cool to watch.
These environments felt experiential and immersive, not transactional. This was true engagement that increased dwell time. And it’s useful. You chat, crack a few jokes and then, yes, talk business.
(Photo: Messe Düsseldorf / Tillmann)
Whether it was laminates, acrylic boards or coating powders, there were plenty of material innovations that almost matched the recent digital upgrades.
Some were robust and lightweight. Others provided uncanny soundproofing. There were glass replacements that were (nearly) unbreakable, easy to clean, UV-resistant and antibacterial.
For those who undertake major shopfitting efforts at scale, it was hard to not consider reduced production and shipping costs, better durability and recyclability as key selling points.
Ultimately, the general message for retailers visiting EuroShop is not terribly surprising. Retailers need to develop a holistic design logic that blends infrastructure, narrative and emotion into their branded environments.
EuroShop has always been a barometer for where the industry is heading. This year, it again confirmed that stores must be adaptive, human-centered, digitally enabled and experientially charged to thrive.