The first European edition of the NRF: Retail’s Big Show Europe was presented in Milan this morning. It takes place in Paris from September 16 to September 18. The event, which is traditionally located in New York, is given a European counterpart for the first time. The aim is to combine the established expertise of the Paris Retail Week (Comexposium Group) with the global network of the National Retail Federation.
Arnaud Gallet, Director of the NRF 2025 Retail’s Big Show Europe, said: “The event will combine the strength of two modern retail markets: European and the North American. Contents, agenda and the international audience will comprehensively reflect the topic of ‘Retail Together’.” In keeping with this, the fair is under the lead motif “Retail Together”.
Around 480 exhibitors, 15,000 visitors are expected: inside and around 7,000 international specialists from retail.
Five years after the pandemic, retailers proved to be resistant and agile. He is now positioning itself for a new generation of consumers: inside. The trade is at the beginning of a further profound change, in which artificial intelligence drives innovation and efficiency in all areas, as the organizers emphasize.
Francesco Montuolo, Executive Vice President of ConfimPreese, stated in his lecture at the presentation that the purchasing power of households had decreased. “We asked families about their mood, and this deteriorated significantly compared to the previous year,” said Montuolo. “We all know that consumer behavior is strongly influenced by the mood.” This affects retail – especially on shops in shopping streets. However, the catering area develops better. Nevertheless, according to Montuolo, retailers would have to react globally to the changing consumer needs – characterized by political upheavals, persistent conflicts and falling family budgets. This also means further developing commercial locations that increasingly “merge and mix”.
Events such as the NRF 2025 Retail’s Big Show Europe therefore offer important impulses for further training, exchange and technological and organizational development – instruments with which the trade can be strategically and sustainable.
A white paper illustrates the most important trends in the retail trade of tomorrow
Unified Commerce has become a strategic priority for retailers. “Due to the seamless integration of physical, digital and social touchpoints, brands reinvent their stores, improve the customer journey and increase customer loyalty,” said Gallet.
The central themes of the fair also include artificial intelligence, sustainability and ESG criteria in the trade. A white paper presented for the event provides exclusive insights and concrete strategies of leading retail companies, including: Calvin McDonald, CEO, Lululemon, Artemis Patrick, President and CEO Sephora North America, David Bourla, Head of Research, Newmark, Sophie Marchessou, Chief Customer Officer, Mirakl and Jerome Laurent, CEO, Pricinghub
For Lululemon, business remains an important part of future expansion
Calvin McDonald, CEO of the Canadian sports and lifestyle company Lululemon, emphasized the importance of inpatient stores for the company’s growth strategy. Under his leadership, sales doubled in the first three years – especially through consistent optimization of the customer experience online and in the store.
“With a view to the future, there is nothing that could prevent the brand from doubleing its sales again,” said McDonald on the NRF Retail’s Big Show in January. The aim is to grow even more internationally. There are currently 25 percent of the total sales of international markets – this share could increase to 50 percent in the future.
“We are currently running around 700 stores worldwide. They remain essential for us because they make it possible to inform our customers: to inform inside and to interact directly with them,” says McDonald.
The British fitness brand Gymshark has taken the step from online to stationary trade. After a successful pop-up store in New York (December to January), the company opened its first fixed US location at the Bond Street in Manhattan. “For us, stationary trade showed real green shoots and worked very well,” said Noel Mack, CBO from Gymhark. “That is why we double our investments and work on even more innovative concepts.”
The trends that will shape the retail of the future include the rise of omni modal trade “recent progress in the field of artificial intelligence heralds a new merchandise-the omni modal trade,” says Nicolas Diacono, founder of Nincotech, in the white paper. “This change takes place, although many retailers continue to wrestle with the Omnichannel transformation.”
Smart Glasses also experience a strong comeback, according to Diacono. The devices integrated with AI merge digital content seamlessly with the real world using augmented reality. This new generation of portable technology could replace smartphones in the long term and herald the age of spatial computing.
Another trend is the use of personalization
“In 2025, the central AI trend in retail is the growing complexity of the personalized customers: internal addressing,” says Massimiliano Squillace, CEO from Contents. Retailers rely on AI to make smooth, personalized shopping experiences across different channels and proactively anticipate consumer requests.
Platforms such as content that offer an integrated solution for content management help brands to make this process efficiently-by creating, playing, playing and scaling content.
The result: tailor-made interactions that not only strengthen the customer: internal bond, but also increase operational efficiency in the entire retail ecosystem.
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