Euroshop 2026 maintains visitor and exhibitor numbers

More than 81,000 visitors from 141 countries attended Euroshop, which ended yesterday. They gathered information about retail solutions from 1,840 exhibitors from 61 countries. According to the final report from Messe Düsseldorf, the world's leading trade fair for retail investment needs has thus underlined its claim to be a "global retail festival". Two-thirds of visitors came from abroad, with one in five from countries outside Europe. Visitor and exhibitor numbers are pretty much on a par with the previous Euroshop three years ago.

"Euroshop 2026 has impressively demonstrated that the retail sector is investing in its future – strategically, technology-driven and with a clear focus on efficiency and customer experience," summarises Marius Berlemann, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf. "The international appeal, the enormous decision-making authority of the visitors and their concrete willingness to invest confirm how important Euroshop is as the industry's leading global trade fair." This year's focus was primarily on AI-based applications and checkout solutions, modern LED lighting systems and flexible shopfitting concepts.

"Euroshop not only highlights the key issues facing the retail sector, but also its great willingness to change," explains Ulrich Spaan, Managing Director of the EHI Retail Institute. "The retail sector is taking every opportunity to shape its future creatively and actively. AI and digital technologies, for example, are not only used to increase efficiency, but also to develop new business models and further improve the shopping experience."

The exhibitors are expressing their satisfaction. Here are two examples: "Euroshop 2026 has impressively demonstrated that the future of retail lies in the intelligent fusion of physical and digital touchpoints to create a seamless customer experience," says Rüdiger Eilers, Head of Marketing at OMS Retail, looking back on the five-day trade fair. "I was particularly impressed by how ESL technologies have evolved from simple price displays to comprehensive platforms for in-store navigation and process optimisation. This development encourages us to support our customers not only with ESL implementation, but also with the entire digital transformation of their store processes."

And Jens Wolter, Senior Key Account Manager at ITAB Germany, says: "There was a great deal of interest from the DIY sector. In addition to self-checkout solutions for larger quantities of goods, the focus was primarily on digital product advisors and Lift'n'Learn. This allows customers to simply lift a product and receive the relevant information directly. Pick-up boxes for online orders and locker solutions for higher-priced products also met with great interest."