NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show Europe puts innovation at the heart of retail

Innovation is no longer optional in retail; it has become a strategic imperative. With the rise of AI, the boom in marketplaces, growing sustainability expectations, and the expansion of frictionless payment solutions, retailers must embrace innovation to stay competitive and meet consumer demands. Against this backdrop of rapid change, NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show Europe, taking place from today (16^th  September) until 18^th September at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, will put innovation at the centre of its programme. With nearly 500 exhibitors, including more than 100 international startups, the event is set to become the stage where the new standards of global commerce take shape.

Innovation as the catalyst for retail transformation

From reinventing in-store experiences to building sustainable logistics and streamlining transactions, innovation is reshaping every link in the retail value chain. NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show Europe will showcase three dedicated areas highlighting breakthrough solutions:

• The Innovators Showcase, presenting 30 companies selected by the NRF Innovation Committee as representatives of the next generation of retail solutions.
• The Startup Hub, featuring more than 60 startups specialising in data, AI, payments, and customer experience — young companies challenging the status quo with bold, unexpected, high-impact ideas.
• The House of Innovation Pavilion, bringing together 16 international startups whose solutions are already transforming retailers’ daily operations.

As NRF expands globally, the NRF Innovators Showcase is a cornerstone of how we spotlight the next generation of retail technology. Guided by the expertise of NRF’s Innovation Advisory Committee, we curate companies that are solving critical challenges and are ready to scale, creating a program that not only accelerates innovation in Europe but also connects it to the broader global retail community,” Susan Newman, SVP of Event Strategy at the National Retail Federation.

Spotlight on startups reinventing retail

Idea incubators and disruption labs, the startups featured at the event embody the diversity and power of retail innovation. Among them:

• 7LEARNINGS (Netherlands) – An AI platform enabling B2C retailers to optimise pricing and marketing decisions in real time.
• Advertima (Switzerland) – Pioneer of “Audience AI,” transforming physical stores into interactive and measurable media channels using computer vision.
• Carlo (Luxembourg) – A mobile payment app combining cashback with support for local businesses, strengthening ties between merchants and consumers.
• Delupay (France) – A mobile payment solution without bank cards, designed to simplify transactions and increase everyday purchase security.
• Alice Voicebox (United Kingdom) – A voice analytics technology capturing and analysing customer voices in real time to generate insights, offering retailers a new way to listen to their consumers.
• EKYAM.AI (France) – An AI-native integrated platform orchestrating all retail operations, from stock planning to customer experience.

Together with dozens of others, these startups show that innovation is not limited to a single technology but rather to a holistic approach where every stage of the customer journey can be enriched and transformed.

Highlights and sessions

The event will offer direct immersion in applied innovation through exclusive experiences and activities.

Tuesday 16^th September

• Big Ideas: “Driving Innovation in Retail” (11:45 am – 12:15 pm) – Fiserv, Nepting, and TotalEnergies will present their strategic partnership to revolutionise secure and seamless transactions.

Wednesday 17^th September

• Keynote Authentic Brands Group: “Deploying global icons: Authentic’s strategy for brand growth” (2:45 pm – 3:45 pm) – Corey Salter, Chief Operating Officer, will present the group’s global and multichannel growth strategy.
• Keynote Lenovo: “Accelerating the future of retail with AI” (5:00 pm – 6:00 pm) – Olaf Maecker, Vice President Artificial Intelligence and Automation at METRO, will discuss the role of AI and automation, in partnership with Lenovo and NVIDIA, in shaping the future of retail.

Meanwhile, Expo Tours will guide attendees on two-hour themed tours of exhibitor booths, showcasing the latest technologies and innovations. Visitors will explore key industry trends such as merging physical and digital journeys, leveraging data and AI for personalised customer experiences, new payment practices, smart logistics, and operational automation. These curated visits will serve as powerful accelerators of networking and market intelligence, offering a practical view of the most promising solutions on display.

The show will also host the Retail’s Big Show Europe Awards on Tuesday 16^th September at 5:30pm. Eight categories will honour some of the most ground-breaking and transformative projects in unified commerce, store design, supply chain, ESG, marketplaces, payments, CRM, data, and startup innovation.

NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show Europe – A rich and exclusive program

With over 200 international speakers, inspiring keynotes, and interactive sessions, the 2025 programme is one of the most ambitious ever offered in Europe.

• Inspiring conferences with leaders like Guillaume Motte, CEO of Sephora, who will open the event with “We Belong to Something Beautiful,” emphasising values of inclusion and diversity.
• Interactive breakout sessions, where European leaders will explore challenges and opportunities specific to their markets.
• Exhibitor Big Ideas, with more than 70 exhibitors unveiling their most impactful innovations.