The 2026 edition of the NRF Big Show took place from 11 to 13 January 2026 (a day shorter than the previous editions). It was, again, a record-breaking show, with more than 41,000 visitors from 100 countries and 564 speakers. Notably, this was the largest Expo ever, with 33,500 sqm dedicated to 1,025 exhibitors. This constant expansion might explain why the NRF is now a global fair, with an Asian edition (Singapore, launched 2 years ago), a European edition (Paris, launched last September), and, soon, a Middle East edition in Riyadh (planned for March 2027).

The recent changes in U.S. international policy did not deter foreigners from coming: more than a third of visitors were non-US, with the largest foreign delegation from Brazil. The total number of foreigners has decreased, however, compared to the previous editions.

As usual, there was a strong sense of excitement, fuelled by good overall retail sales and a good holiday season: according to the CNBC/NRF retail monitor, the strong December numbers brought total 2025 retail sales to an increase of 5.08% over 2024.

One could wonder however if the NRF Big Show still addresses retailers: while the event opened with the chairmen of BJ’s Wholesale Club and DICK’s Sporting Goods, one of the most commented keynote was the one gathering the CEO of Walmart, John Furner, with the CEO of Google and Alphabet, Sundar Pichai, and in the Expo, “agentic AI” was on everyone’s lips. Also, Microsoft’s and Google’s booths were spectacularly larger than their spaces in previous editions. While, as usual, the energy was palpable during the event, at least in the first two days, there was also a sense that many retailers based in the city did not show up due to a lack of time, or simply because the real retail conversations were increasingly taking place in side events. It felt as though tech and retail were no longer moving hand in hand, but were increasingly taking parallel trajectories, with tech eating retail, best illustrated by the large ChatGPT advertisement atop an iconic small store in the Village.

This focus on tech, for sure, continues to leave room for other global fairs interested in the “traditional” side of retail, such as Euroshop.

What follows is a subjective selection of conferences, news, and stores that we believe could be interesting to our members, as we try to cut through the noise and self-promotion. All conferences include a short recap of our 3 key takeaways.

IADS Exclusive – IADS Exclusive: IADS Exclusive: NRF Big Show 2026: IADS report

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