Future Retail Challenge Portal

Monday 23rd March - Team Details 

Please send the following to Natalie Wilkins by Monday 23rd March

Team names: please email your full team names and email address of your team members

College Logo: Please email your college logo in high resolution PNG and EPS format

Team Photograph: Please email a photograph of your team which will go on the World Retail Congress website. 

If you have any of this information earlier, please do send the details and we will add it to the World Retail Congress website.

Tuesday 7th April - Artwork 

Please send the following to Tamara Bulat by Tuesday 7th April 2026

Artwork: Please email a high res PDF version of your artwork which will be displayed onsite at the InterContinental Hotel close to entrance when guests arrive.

Friday 10th April 2026 - 10 Page report 

Please send the following to Tamara Bulat by Friday 10th April 2026

10-page Report: Please email a PDF version of your 10 page report

Friday 24th April 2026  - Presentation 

Please send the following to Tamara Bulat by Friday 24th April

Presentation: Please email your presentation in a PPT format (NOT PDF) which will be shared with the judges ahead of time, and reviewed by the AV team to confirm the formats are all correct. 

 

 

Reimagining the Store in the Age of AI 

The Retail Roadmap to 2030 will be shaped by emerging channels and new technology, particularly AI, Agentic AI, social commerce and live streaming. This is both exciting and potentially challenging for all retailers in that it enables consumers to be in even greater control of the transaction – where and when they want.  

Agentic AI will become the new search tool which could remove retailers and brands from any direct interaction with the consumer. Social commerce platforms will become even bigger, driven by the power of influencers speaking directly to huge communities of consumers, but outside of traditional retail channels such as the store.   

 For retailers looking into this near future, they have to understand that this could change the shape of retail. But it raises big questions: 

• How can retailers ensure they are part of an AI-led world?  

• How can they use AI to enhance the customer experience?   

• What does this mean for the store which still accounts for the majority of retail sales around the world and where Gen Z continues to be attracted to according to latest research?  

The Challenge 
Your task is to reimagine the future of retail with a strong focus on the role of the store in an AI-driven world: 

• Choose a retailer (food or non-food). 

• Analyse its core customer base and what drives them to shop both online and in-store. 

• Audit its current presence: stores, online, and digital touchpoints. 

• Project to 2030: How will AI, Agentic AI, social commerce, and live streaming reshape consumer expectations of the store? How might shopping journeys begin digitally but finish in-store and become truly omnichannel? 

• Develop a future-proof strategy that sets out how your retailer can: 

• Ensure the store remains a critical hub for loyalty, discovery, and brand storytelling. 

• Use digital tools to enhance physical spaces (e.g., AI-enabled personalization, real-time services, immersive experiences, live-streaming). 

• Integrate physical and digital journeys so customers feel no barriers between the two. 

• Redefine the role of front-line staff, service, and community in an AI-led retail world. 

• Identify potential AI tools or initiatives that could lower cost or improve productivity for your selected retailer as well as AI tools that could specifically enhance the customer experience instore.  

• Protect against the rise of Agentic AI platforms cutting out community feel. 

Deliverable 
A strategic vision for 2030 that shows how the physical store will evolve as a competitive advantage in an era dominated by AI and consumer-led channels. 

WHAT WE NEED YOU TO DO  

Produce a 10-page report that sets out your plans to meet the challenge. This should be submitted by April 10th.  

The final of the Future Retail Challenge will be held at the World Retail Congress in Berlin on 28th April 2026 and each team will give a presentation covering their ideas about how they will achieve the targets and goals set in the brief. The presentations will be given to a panel of judges and an audience of Congress retail delegates.  

The presentations will be no longer than 8 minutes with 6 minutes for questions from the panel of 4 senior retail industry judges. All four members of the team should be involved in giving the presentation. 

Presentations should seek to be informative and entertaining. 

At the Congress, each team will be given a display area with panels setting out the key ideas that show how your plan can meet the targets set by the challenge. The Congress will produce the display panels and construct the display area, but each team should provide us with the images and graphics that will be shown on the display panels. 

The winners of the 2026 Future Retail Challenge will be announced on the morning of April 29th  

Judging Criteria and Scoring Allocations 

Submission of paper: 30% of the scores 

Presentation at the Congress 50% of the score based on. 

Content of presentation (Proposed ideas, Execution, originality, effectiveness and communication to target consumer) 20% 

Quality of presentation (presentation AV, messaging, audience engagement and quality of delegate presentation) 10% 

Relevance to brief (questions above) 10% 

Response to Judges questions (on the day) 10% 

Audience votes 20% 

Judging Criteria and Scoring Allocations 

Submission of paper: 30% of the scores 

Presentation at the Congress 50% of the score based on. 

Content of presentation (Proposed ideas, Execution, originality, effectiveness and communication to target consumer) 20% 

Quality of presentation (presentation AV, messaging, audience engagement and quality of delegate presentation) 10% 

Relevance to brief (questions above) 10% 

Response to Judges questions (on the day) 10% 

Audience votes 20% 

Artwork Specifications

Each university will have their own section in the below artwork piece to design themselves to showcase their challenge. Please submit your artwork to tamara.bulat@worldretailcongress.com in a high res PDF format by Tuesday 7th April

Please see the design specs and visual image below.  However, if you have any questions, please contact Natalie Wilkins

Artwork Measurements per university: 

975mm high x 475mm wide

Please see an example of the artwork from the students in 2025.

 

A block of rooms has been reserved at the InterContinental Hotel, Berlin, for attendees of the World Retail Congress. Please note that availability is limited and reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to book early to secure your accommodation.

Please use the booking link here

If you would like to reserve a group room block but do not yet have the names of your attendees, please contact BERHA.RESERVATIONS@ihg.com and reference the World Retail Congress to receive the negotiated rate.

Rehearsal Schedule 

Rehearsals and Presentations will take place in the Tegel Room, located on the ground floor of the InterContinental Hotel.

Monday 27th April

15:00 - 15:30 Fashion Institute of Technology, New York , USA

15:30 - 16:00 London College of Fashion, UK

16:00 - 16:30 EDHEC Business School, France 

16:30 - 17:00 ESCP Business School, Turin, Italy

17:00 - 17:30 University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

17:30 - 18:00 Hong Kong Polytechnic, Hong Kong  

18:00 - 18:30 The University of Cape Town, South Africa

Tuesday 28th April

Presentation Schedule

11:30 – 11:50 Fashion Institute of Technology, New York , USA

11:50 – 12:10 London College of Fashion, UK

12:10 – 12:30 EDHEC Business School, France 

12:30 – 12:50 ESCP Business School, Turin, Italy

12:50 – 13:10 University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

13:10 – 13:30 Hong Kong Polytechnic, Hong Kong  

13:30 - 13:50 The University of Cape Town, South Africa

The winner will be announced on Wednesday 29th April on the Congress main stage at 15:50 This session will open with a representative from each team on the main stage talking about what they have taken from the competition and the key lessons. At the end of this discussion the chair of the judges will announce the winning team.

Submit your Presentation

Please send your 16:9 widescreen PowerPoint presentation to Tamara Bulat

This must be submitted in a PowerPoint format, please do not submit as a PDF file.

Presentation Requirements

The presentation requirements below must be adhered to. Kindly note that you will need to make changes to your presentation if the requirements are not adhered to. Our AV team is not able to make any amendments to your presentation.

• The presentation ratio must be 16:9 widescreen
• Video format MP4 H264 Codec
• Font size – 36Pts Bold for headings, 32 pts for content
• Videos must be embedded in PowerPoint on automatic start. We also require the original video in the format mentioned above, as backup 

Key Points to Remember

• All presentations should be Power Point.
• Any videos embedded in the presentation should also be provided as separate files.
• Any weblinks or online content contained in the presentation should be highlighted in advance to ensure a suitable internet connection is available. If an upgrade is required, this will need to be arranged directly with the venue
• All content will be run from the technical desk, onstage presenter will be provided with a slide advance controller.
• Please advise asap if any presenter is likely to want to use their own laptop, preference is that all presentations are included within one deck.
• All presentations need to be 16:9 and 1920x1080
• Images and graphics can maximize the impact of your presentation
• Try to keep to 10 slides for a 20-minute presentation
• Slides should be visual rather than text-heavy
• If you are using Prezzi or Keynote, please let us know as soon as possible
• If you are using your own Macbook or iPad you will need to provide individual adaptors for the DVIconnector
• If you are using your own computer you will need to use this from the lectern so please let us know as soon as possible

To register for the event, you will need a unique registration link which will have been sent to you from Natalie Wilkins. If you have not received this link, please contact Natalie.

Your registration link will be limited to the amount of attendees agreed in your contract.

You will not need to bring a physical print out or ticket onsite with you, you can just state your name when you arrive onsite at the InterContinental and we will have all your details to complete your badge. We look forward to welcoming you at the World Retail Congress 2026!