NEW YORK, July 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AI-powered shopping, retail media’s next phase of growth and the GLP-1-driven shift in consumer demand will dominate the agenda at Groceryshop 2026, taking place 22-24 September at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, with a focus on real operator experience over speculation to spur innovation and growth.

Senior leaders from Instacart, Unilever Wellbeing, Kroger, DoorDash, Once Upon a Farm, Sam’s Club, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Mercado Libre, Dollar General and Diageo are among more than 150 confirmed speakers, joined by executives across grocery, mass, club, drug, dollar, convenience, pharmacy and CPG brands.

The event will bring together more than 4,000 retail professionals – one in three at C-suite level – spanning retailers, brands, technology providers, investors, and startups from over 50 countries.

For brands and businesses navigating an increasingly fragmented consumer landscape, it represents a rare opportunity to connect with decision-makers across commerce, technology, and brand strategy, all in one place.

Last year, more than 30,000 co-matched business meetings were facilitated through its ‘Meetup’ programme, cementing Groceryshop’s reputation as one of the world’s most efficient retail networking event. Attendees can expect the same density of high-value connection in just three days.

Rocquan Lucas, VP of Content at Groceryshop, said: “Shopping baskets in grocery, convenience, dollar and drug channels are being reshaped at once – by AI, GLP-1, and retail media. Leaders rarely get the chance to compare notes with a peer solving the same problem in a different channel or country. That’s what Groceryshop is built for – zeroing in on the decisions leaders must make right now to cut costs, grow market share, expand margins, deliver standout shopping experiences, and finalize their strategy for 2027.”

Must-see keynotes include:

  • Chris Rogers, CEO, Instacart // Rogers will share how Instacart is building a more intuitive shopping experience for consumers, and how AI, retail media and technology can be leveraged by retailer and brand organizations to unlock new growth.
  • Jostein Solheim, CEO, Unilever Wellbeing // Solheim oversees a roster of science-backed acquired companies including Liquid I.V., OLLY, Nutrafol and Grüns – which Unilever has grown into a $2.5+ billion global business. He will discuss how the business is driving consistent growth through disruptive marketing, new product innovation, and brands built around consumers’ wellness journeys.
  • Jennifer Garner, Co-Founder, Once Upon a Farm, with John Foraker, Co-Founder & CEO, Once Upon a Farm // Garner and Foraker will discuss how Once Upon a Farm is providing organic, farm-fresh food for babies, toddlers and big kids – and how the brand is finding omnichannel growth through retail partnerships alongside direct-to-consumer success.
  • Andy Fang, Co-Founder, DoorDash, and Yael Cosset, EVP & Chief Digital Officer, Kroger // Fang and Cosset will share how they are building AI-powered shopping experiences that are conversational, seamless and personalized.
  • Myron Frazier, EVP & Chief Merchant, Sam’s Club // Frazier will share how a leading wholesale club is winning and keeping value-driven shoppers through private label offerings, optimizing product assortment and highlighting value beyond price.
  • Michael Beacham, President, California Pizza Kitchen // Beacham will share how the brand known for innovating California fresh cuisine, pioneering the BBQ chicken pizza, and scaling its casual dining restaurants internationally is bringing its products to more grocery aisles and expanding its CPG business beyond frozen pizza.

Highlight sessions include:

  • AI-Powered Shopping: New Insights on What’s Truly Driving Adoption // Aaron Cheris, Global Retail Practice Head & Senior Partner at Bain, Leigh O’Donnell, Head of Shopper & Category Insights at Kantar, and Michelle Evans, Global Lead, Retail & Digital Shopper Insights at Euromonitor International, will share fresh research on AI’s real impact on how goods are discovered and purchased, and what it means for the future of agentic and autonomous shopping.
  • Taking In-Store Retail Media from Concept to Scale // Brian Monahan, SVP, Retail Media at Albertsons Media Collective and Parbinder Dhariwal, VP & GM of CVS Media Exchange at CVS Health, share how retailers are moving in-store retail media beyond standard shopper marketing – and how they’re proving its impact on sales.
  • Centering Products and Assortment Around Key Dietary Preferences // Dan Haugen, Co-Founder & COO of Roxberry Naturals, John Conlin, SVP of Merchandising, Food & Beverage at Target, and Talia Monroe, SVP, Commercial Growth at Chobani unpack what rapid shifts in health priorities, GLP-1 adoption, and cultural diversity mean for retailers and brands, from rising demand for protein and “better-for-you” options to growing appreciation of global and international flavors.
  • Linking Brand-Building and Performance Marketing // Benoit Vatere, Chief Media Officer at Liquid Death, Mindy Barry, Chief Marketing Officer at Mars Pet Nutrition and Ivone Lima Miranda, Head of Marketing at Philips discuss how they’re designing integrated, full-funnel marketing strategies, aligning brand and performance teams around shared goals and measurement, and using retail media to drive both brand-building and performance outcomes.

Timbaland to Headline Groceryshop’s Beach Party, Groceryfest  

Grammy award winning recording artist and producer Timbaland will headline Groceryshop’s signature party and networking event, Groceryfest, on Wednesday, September 23 from 8-10:30pm PT. Taking place at Mandalay Bay Beach, the performance will feature his biggest hits spanning his decades-long career.

This year also sees Groceryshop connect with Shoptalk Fall under a single community umbrella, Shoptalk Innovation Week, giving attendees the option to attend both flagship fall events – in Las Vegas and Nashville – with a single ticket add-on.

Event details and registration

Groceryshop 2026 takes place 22–24 September at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. View the full agenda and register: groceryshop.com/agendas/2026-agenda

About Groceryshop

Groceryshop, part of the Shoptalk and Hyve Group portfolio of events, is a next-generation global retail event whose purpose is to bring together and connect entire sector ecosystems from all corners of the globe. It is the world’s only ecosystem event for everyday retail – bringing together retailers, brands, technology providers, investors and startups across grocery, mass, club, drug, dollar, convenience, pharmacy and CPG. The event brings together 4,000+ leaders from 50+ countries and is recognised for its Meetup programme – the largest meetings programme in everyday retail – alongside its high-calibre content agenda.

Press contact: Menreet Kaur, Global Head of Communications, Shoptalk & Groceryshop / media@shoptalk.com

Note to Editor: If you, or a member of your editorial team, would like to attend Groceryshop 2026, please register for a media pass here.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5b440862-f8a3-40e5-bb48-0fb68a4c73f3


Media gallery

About The Author
Shoptalk