Focus on retail: EXPO REAL making retail properties a more focal point

EXPO REAL 2025, taking place in Munich from October 6 to 8, will be making retail properties a more focal point. The new location in Hall B3 ensures more attention and an ideal connection to the central visitor routes.

“Our new stand concept enables a more compact alignment of the retailer spaces and better visibility for the participating retail companies,” explains Claudia Boymanns, Exhibition Director of EXPO REAL. The Grand Plaza Stage, with its traditional party on the first evening of the trade fair, is also located in the center of the retail companies’ exhibition space. As an established discussion and presentation platform for the topic of retail property, it will also provide additional topic highlights and generally liven up the exhibition space.

The future of retail is also an important topic in the presentations and discussion panels at EXPO REAL. The well-known futurologist and retail expert Theresa Schleicher will give the keynote on the topic “Next Level Retail—customer loyalty through AI: What are the current retail topics, and how does (brick-and-mortar) retail function today and tomorrow?” Another discussion panel will deal with the topic “Requirement in expansion and renting in retail—today and tomorrow!”

Leading retail companies welcome the upgrade for retail

The international significance of EXPO REAL for the retail sector is also underscored by the views of high-ranking trade fair participants. “EXPO REAL is the most important meeting place for the real estate sectors of food retailers and definitely an event not to be missed,” says Christoph Kraus, Head of Organization at Schwarz Immobilien Service, part of the Neckarsulm-based Schwarz Group. “Schwarz Group companies have had their own stand at the trade fair since 2007 and appreciate the many valuable discussions and opportunities to come into contact with potential partners. The new design of the Grand Plaza in Hall B3 with an attractive program promises to make the trade fair even more appealing.”

The Grand Plaza at EXPO REAL: “Open, networked, future-oriented”

Susanne Fleckenstein, Head of Expansion & Portfolio Management at REWE Group, adds: “The new Grand Plaza is reminiscent of a European marketplace: a place for encounters, dialog, and orientation. At a time when consumer behavior, space requirements, and location strategies are undergoing massive change, this is exactly the kind of impetus that is needed. The Grand Plaza offers the right setting for that—open, networked, and future-oriented.” And Stephan Koof, Head of Expansion/Real Estate at REWE Group, adds: “The relocation of the Grand Plaza to Hall B3 provides retail not only with a visibly more central stage at EXPO REAL, but also the space it deserves more than ever in a challenging market environment.”