“The state of retail is clear: Transformation is no longer optional. It’s an era where Agility is the only currency of survival, and AI is no longer a future strategy—it’s the core operating system for profitable growth.” Martin Bailie

I am incredibly excited to announce that I will be in New York City in January for NRF 2026: hashtag#RetailBigShow!

The pace of change we saw in 2025—where 40,000 global leaders from over 90 countries converged, exploring innovations across 1,000+ exhibitors and 170+ sessions—has only accelerated. The conversation has decisively shifted from if to how to implement Game-Changing AI. We saw the true establishment of Unified Commerce and witnessed AI projected to add years of extra business growth over the next decade. The fundamental challenge has never been clearer: Agility is survival.

This makes the NRF 2026 theme, “The Next Now is Here,” perfectly timed. We are moving beyond the hype cycle and into the era of practical execution. For MWB Advisory, this means driving strategies around the biggest defining trends for the year ahead:

• Agentic AI: Focusing on how AI works alongside teams, not just replacing tasks, to deliver tangible ROI.
• The Store as a Media Surface: The physical retail space is emerging as the ultimate high-influence, measurable media channel.
• Operational Resilience: Redefining supply chains for flexibility and embracing circular retail models (like reverse logistics) to protect margins.

Beyond the cutting-edge main agenda, I’m massively looking forward to the Gala evening 12th Jan 26. This major highlight of the NRF schedule includes an awards ceremony that is always a fantastic opportunity to recognize the industry’s most impactful innovations. It’s brilliant to see the event supported by major sponsors like Microsoft and PwC .

I am particularly proud to be connecting with the incredible innovators, who are actively building this “Next Now” playbook: the teams at VusionGroup, Quorso , Kwayga , Dragonfruit AI , EdifyAi , Kallikor , The Omnisol and ZopSmart .

If you are attending NRF in January, I would love to connect and discuss how we can turn these industry movements into hashtag#Profitable, hashtag#ValuesDriven hashtag#Growth for your business.

“The Next Now demands two things: hashtag#BoldVision and hashtag#FlawlessExecution. Let’s build the future of retail, together in 2026!” MWB Advisory.