The Monthly Recap

End of summer, end of the month… which means it’s time for another recap on The Retail Influencer with Elisa and Vincent.

So, what did we talk about in this episode?

August was the month of holidays. But we didn’t completely switch off: we kept publishing and keeping an eye on what’s happening in retail.

Some publications

Summer windows: Elisa took a look at summer window displays and reminded us that, even in the middle of August, a window remains an important tool to attract attention and encourage people to walk into a store.
Travel retail: we spotted an interesting trend at airports: temporary pop-up stores focused on local products or local events. A good example? The Tomorrowland pop-up at Brussels Airport.
Agentic AI: in a new podcast episode, Vincent talks to Eduardo from Mollie about the future of retail and the role AI agents could play in our shopping habits.
Vincent welcomed Jean-David Thumelaire to look back on his first year at the helm of Bel Fromageries in the Benelux, and on how a century-old company is looking at its future.

Back to school: looking at retailers’ press releases and campaigns, one word clearly stands out: affordability. Will this back-to-school season be all about price?
Carrefour and ChatGPT: Carrefour now allows customers to do their grocery shopping directly through ChatGPT, with the help of mealz.ai. Another illustration of how AI is starting to become a concrete part of the shopping journey

Halloween or BBQ? The big question at the end of August: is it already time to start thinking about Halloween, or can we still enjoy a good BBQ and an Indian summer? Are you team BBQ or already team Halloween?
Saveurs et Métiers x 20/CENT Retail: the collaboration is being renewed. 20/CENT Retail will once again put together the conference programme for the show, which will take place in Namur in 2027.
RDI Europe: the European chapter of the Retail Design Institute has officially launched, with Elisa as its president. Several events are planned to kick off this new initiative, with the first gathering taking place at Maison&Objet.

Elisa will be at:

If you are exhibiting at NRF or Maison&Objet and would like Elisa to stop by your stand on behalf of 20/CENT Retail, let us know.

Vincent, meanwhile, will be at the Carrefour trade show, the Delhaize trade show and, of course, will be taking a look at the wine fairs.

In short, the holidays are over. Retail, however, never really took a break.

Retail Podcast