Presentation of the reta awards 2026

For the 19th time, EHI has selected the winners of the reta awards. The awards ceremony took place during EuroShop 2026 at Dr. Thompson’s soap factory in Düsseldorf. Three equal winners were honoured in each of the five categories Artificial Intelligence, Checkout & Smart Store, Customer Experience, Employee Empowerment and Supply Chain Excellence, and one winner in the special category MarTech Innovation.

Category: Artificial Intelligence

This award is given to retail companies that have been able to simplify, automate or accelerate retail processes with the help of AI and robotics applications. The winners are:

Albert Czechia (Top Supplier*: Mettler Toledo)

Albert Czechia, based in Prague, is modernising its checkout and service processes with AI-supported item recognition. The solution ensures fast and accurate identification of unpackaged goods without barcodes at the checkout and reduces sources of error, e.g. through product mix-ups during manual data entry.

Netto Marken-Discount (Top Supplier: Trigo Vision)

With the help of innovative computer vision technology, the German food discounter can use its CCTV infrastructure to detect unpaid items, tampering and suspicious behaviour patterns at its self-checkout systems in real time and inform employees in a targeted manner.

Sonae (Top Supplier: Sensei)

Sonae MC is setting new standards in the food sector with a 1,200 square metre autonomous smart store in Leira, Portugal, offering over 11,000 items. Purchases are also recorded in real time at fresh food counters for baked goods, fish and meat using a combination of AI, computer vision and sensors. There is no need for scanning or queuing, as the shopping receipt is generated digitally in real time.

Category: Checkout & Smart Store

This category recognises innovative checkout and store concepts. The winners are

Colruyt Group (Top Supplier: Expresso Germany)

The Colruyt Group from Halle in Belgium has launched the next generation of smart shopping trolleys. The SmartShopper EyeQ uses a network of cameras and weighing sensors to scan products using camera technology. Integrated sensors enable location-based advertising and targeted promotions. An intelligent scale in the fresh produce section automatically recognises, weighs and scans fruit and vegetables.

Lekkerland (Top Supplier: in-house)

Lekkerland presents the REWE To Go Smart Store at Frankfurt Airport: the 70 m² store uses AI-supported grab-and-go technology (computer vision technology) that allows customers to log in with a payment card and purchase products in less than 30 seconds without going through a checkout process. IoT technology supports the sale of coffee and age-restricted items.

Lengermann & Trieschmann (Top Supplier: Vusion, GK Artificial Intelligence for Retail)

Until now, price labelling in the brick-and-mortar fashion store in Osnabrück was done entirely manually. At the beginning of the autumn/winter 2025 season, the project partners introduced hang tags for around 20,000 items in the L&T sales area and implemented price optimisation software. The Intelligent Price Engine (IPE) continuously analyses demand trends, inventory levels and external market data to make accurate, dynamic pricing decisions.

Category: Customer Experience

This award is given to retailers who have introduced forward-looking methods and technologies to further increase customer loyalty and satisfaction. The winners are:

China Resources Vanguard (Top Supplier: Hanshow Technology)

China Resources Vanguard (Shenzhen, China) has implemented a shelf marketing solution based on NFC-enabled electronic shelf labels (ESLs) in a pilot project. Existing ESLs were upgraded to interactive touchpoints that serve as both price displays and digital entry points for promotions and vouchers. Customers interact directly at the shelf via smartphone tap, without an app or QR code.

Kaufland Foundation (Top Supplier: Schwarz Digits, Bizerba)

The Kaufland Foundation, based in Heilbronn, has integrated the ‘MyOrder’ solution. It has transformed service points into efficient omnichannel fulfilment hubs, which will soon be expanded with AI-supported object recognition. The concept is seamless: customers select from a wide range of products at a kiosk in the store, while their orders are displayed in real time on the scales.

MediaMarktSaturn (Top Supplier: Accesa IT Group)

With its AI-supported ‘Smart Manual’ solution, MediaMarktSaturn is making its product manuals easier to understand. The chatbot, which can be accessed via QR code or web link, is available around the clock and provides answers to customer enquiries based on an extensive knowledge database.

Category: Employee Empowerment

The award recognises solutions that support employees in their daily work. The winners are:

Deichmann (Top Supplier: Qualitize)Deichmann is introducing an app for structured communication, task management and reporting in stores that is suitable for international use. The solution is seamlessly integrated into Deichmann’s IT ecosystem. AI-powered features such as automatic translations, summaries and image editing options increase efficiency and data quality.

Rossmann (Top Supplier: Scheer IMC)German drugstore chain Rossmann has developed interactive de-escalation training that is fully integrated into the IMC Learning Suite (LMS). The solution uses playful scenarios with branching decision logic in which employees can simulate realistic customer conflicts and test different communication strategies.

Thalia (Top Supplier: in-house)German bookseller Thalia has developed Minerva, an AI-powered recommendation assistant to support its brick-and-mortar retail staff. The web application is used on iPad devices and provides data and services via a dialogue-based interface. Technically, Minerva is based on a multi-agent system with specialised expert agents for tasks such as product searches and knowledge graph queries.

Category: Supply Chain Excellence

This category recognises companies with particularly efficient supply chain solutions. The winners are:

Coop Sweden (Top Supplier: SSI Schäfer)

Coop has developed a highly automated and energy-efficient logistics centre in Sweden. The solution integrates the entire material flow process for ambient and fresh goods, from goods receipt and high-bay warehouses to depalletising stations, automated small parts warehouses and robot-assisted palletising.

Globus (Top Supplier: consenso, SAP)

German retailer Globus has implemented Intelligent Data Modelling (iDM) to improve its master data quality. The SAP Hana application replaces the Excel-based quality assurance system. Over 100 rules check millions of data records every day, and most errors are corrected automatically.

Marc O’Polo (Top Supplier: KPS)

Marc O’Polo was confronted with increasing complexity in its international supply chain. A state-of-the-art omnichannel replenishment platform based on SAP S/4HANA was implemented. This solution optimises inventory management, demand forecasting and procurement through real-time data and AI-supported forecasts.

Special category: MarTech Innovation

This year’s special category honours innovations in marketing technology that enable retailers to plan, target and optimise their communications and customer engagement. The winner is:

Koçtaş (Top Supplier: Tani Marketing Technologies)

Koçtaş, a leading DIY store operator in Turkey, has implemented a Loyalty-as-a-Service (LaaS) platform to unify and automate the customer journey. The solution is based on an API-driven microservice architecture and offers omnichannel data integration, hyper-personalisation and real-time interactions to make campaigns faster and more precise.

*Top Supplier Retail

The technology partners of the retail companies honoured with the reta awards will once again be named Top Supplier Retail by EHI and Lebensmittel Zeitung this year. The spectrum of honoured service providers ranges from start-ups to global players. What they all have in common is that, in the eyes of the reta jury, they have rendered outstanding services to their partners in the retail sector.

The coveted award has been presented since 2015 and has long been regarded as a seal of quality in the retail tech industry. Further information on the award winners: www.reta-europe.com

Photos (image source: EHI)