PACKAGING AND RETAIL: TWO SHOWS, ONE VALUE CHAIN

At the end of June 2027, ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS will take over the same exhibition venue with the entire packaging value chain. From exhibitors to conferences, from regulation to e-commerce, the two events address many of the same challenges, viewed from the retail shelf and from the packaging line.

Two shows, one exhibition venue, one value chain

NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe takes place from Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 September 2026 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. Organised by Comexposium, like ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS, and part of the National Retail Federation's global network alongside the New York and Singapore editions, the event brings together several hundred exhibitors and more than 200 speakers under the theme “The Next Now”. The exhibition brings together the European retail technology ecosystem in one place, from data and AI to e-commerce, in-store technologies, payments and supply chain solutions.

From Tuesday 29 June to Thursday 1 July 2027, ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS will in turn occupy the same exhibition venue. A pioneer in the sector since 1947, the packaging trade show covers the entire value chain across four sectors: Packaging & Materials, Design & Printing, Processing & Packaging Solutions, and Intralogistics & Transport. In her interview about the 2027 edition, show director Chantal de Lamotte explains that the June 2027 positioning places the event within the industry's business cycles and international calendar, with particular attention paid to decision-makers, buyers and specifiers, especially from French-speaking markets. The same organiser, the same venue and, to some extent, the same user companies, retailers, brands, e-commerce businesses and logistics providers, which come looking for retail solutions in September and packaging and processing solutions in June.

What exhibitors at the two shows have in common

Suppliers exhibiting at the two shows do not sell the same products, but they address many of the same customers. An exhibitor in ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS's Intralogistics & Transport sector, whether offering conveying systems, warehouse robotics, order preparation or palletisation, speaks to the same supply chain departments as software providers and integrators in the Supply Chain sector at NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe. The event programme describes a shift towards autonomous supply chains, where AI no longer simply forecasts demand but drives replenishment and allocation decisions. Those decisions then translate into physical flows that must be handled in warehouses and stores, requiring intralogistics equipment and transport packaging designed accordingly.

A second connection is e-commerce packaging. Right-sized packaging, shipping boxes and envelopes, protective inserts and packaging designed for returns all fall within ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS's Processing & Packaging Solutions and Packaging & Materials sectors, addressing the shipping-cost, product-protection and returns-management challenges that e-commerce businesses come to explore at NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe.

A third connection is the point of sale. The in-store technologies showcased at NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe, from electronic labelling to checkout systems, use information carried by packaging. ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS's Design & Printing sector covers precisely the printing of this information on packaging. The circular design highlighted by the event also connects directly with the Packaging & Materials sector, where reuse, recycled materials and source reduction are key areas of innovation.

At ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS, the 2027 Pack Expert Committee, led by Chantal de Lamotte, brings together major companies, packaging users and industry experts to keep the show closely connected to current developments in the sector through analysis of innovations and regulations. Viewed side by side, the two programmes address the same issues at two different stages of the value chain. The digitalisation of value chains, which the show identifies as one of the sector’s major challenges, extends on the industrial side the discussions at NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe around AI and autonomous supply chains. For brands, the customer experience and loyalty topics discussed in September also extend to the packaging that reaches the shelf or arrives in the parcel. The formats are similar too. NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe features more than 60 young companies in its Startup Hub and selects 25 companies for its Innovators Showcase; ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS also gives start-ups and designers a dedicated place within the event. Both shows also offer a Business Meetings service to arrange qualified appointments.

2D codes, the link between the packaging line and checkout

The most tangible connection between the two shows fits within just a few square centimetres of packaging. GS1 and market stakeholders have committed to the transition from EAN-13 barcodes to 2D codes, with the goal of making them readable and interpretable at checkout by 2027. According to GS1 France, retailers are working towards scanning these 2D codes at checkout at the same speed as today by the end of 2027, although manufacturers are not currently subject to any obligation. EAN-13, which contains only the product code, will continue to appear on packaging during a transition period lasting several years.

For retail, the GS1 enhanced QR Code enables stock management by batch number and consumption date, facilitates product recalls and returns, and creates a direct link with consumers. For packaging, the challenge is industrial. GS1 France recommends placing the 2D code within a 50 mm radius of the centre of the EAN-13, on the same side, to avoid a double price call at checkout. When the code contains dynamic data such as a batch number, use-by date or serial number, it changes whenever the identifier changes and must be printed directly on the production line, requiring production and marking equipment to be adapted. You will see the checkout and scanner at NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe; you will see the packaging line and printing at ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS.

PPWR: the shelf and the production line under the same regulation

Since 12 August 2026, the EU Regulation 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste, the PPWR, has applied across the European Union. Having entered into force on 11 February 2025, it aims to prevent unnecessary packaging, promote reuse, refill and recycling, and sets a packaging waste recycling rate of 65% in 2025, rising to 70% in 2030. It also provides for deposit return systems for single-use plastic or metal beverage containers by 2029, unless separate collection rates are already sufficiently high.

On 10 June 2026, the European Commission published a guidance document in the Official Journal of the European Union interpreting several provisions of the regulation in response to stakeholder questions. Two of them directly concern the relationship between packaging and retail. By 1 January 2030 at the latest, operators filling grouped, transport or e-commerce packaging will have to comply with a maximum empty-space ratio of 50%. And by 12 August 2028 at the latest, or 24 months after the relevant implementing act, packaging placed on the market will have to carry a harmonised label identifying the materials it contains, with pictograms designed to help consumers sort waste correctly.

A retailer reads this regulation with the shelf in mind: formats, refill, deposit return and consumer information. A packaging manufacturer or packer reads it with the production line in mind: design, recyclability, labelling and recycled content. The two perspectives are inseparable. ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS identifies adapting to the PPWR among the major challenges addressed by the show, while the Matières à Penser and Re-Génération areas explore recyclability, traceability and reuse in light of the new regulatory requirements. Discussions begun at NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe around circular design will find their material and industrial solutions in Paris in June 2027.

E-commerce, common ground for packaging and logistics

According to the Fevad report published on 11 February 2026, French e-commerce reached €196.4 billion in 2025, up 7%, with 3.2 billion transactions, 10% more than in 2024. Online product sales rose by 4% to €76.1 billion and represented around 12% of product retail sales, while the average basket fell by 3% to €62. More numerous and smaller orders mean more packaging, picking, shipping and, in some cases, returns to manage.

This is where e-commerce logistics brings the two communities together. NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe addresses the subject from the retail side, through its e-commerce and supply chain sectors and sessions on agentic commerce, where AI acts on behalf of consumers through to the transaction. ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS approaches it from the operational side, through its Processing & Packaging and Intralogistics & Transport sectors and, as Chantal de Lamotte has announced, with more machinery operating live to allow projects to be assessed under real-world conditions. The 50% empty-space limit set by the PPWR for e-commerce packaging also gives these demonstrations a measurable objective.

How to make the most of NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe from 15 to 17 September

Eligible retail professionals benefit from a free Expo Pass, giving access to both exhibition halls, the Innovators Showcase, the Startup Hub, more than 70 30-minute Exhibitor Big Ideas sessions and Business Meetings; the All-Access Pass also includes 14 keynotes and 12 thematic sessions. Suppliers and other profiles have access to paid passes, limited to three per company. On site, two-hour Expo Tours, reserved for retailers, guide visitors around the exhibition by theme, from unified commerce and ESG issues to store design and data. Exhibitor Big Ideas sessions bring exhibitors and their retail clients on stage for demonstrations and case studies. The exhibitor list makes it possible to prepare a targeted route focused on supply chain, e-commerce and in-store technologies.

If you are a supplier of packaging, machinery or intralogistics solutions, NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe gives you three days of access to the expectations of retailers and brands, from the codes they scan at checkout to the reuse or deposit-return requirements they are anticipating, as well as the e-commerce flows they are looking to automate. This insight can help prepare your presence at ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS in 2027. If you are a retailer, brand or e-commerce business, the visit can help you identify packaging and logistics projects to develop ahead of summer 2027.

See you from 29 June to 1 July 2027 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles

“Packaging is an industry that needs to be experienced and demonstrated,” Chantal de Lamotte notes in her interview. To prepare for your visit, ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS's Business Meetings service allows visitors to identify relevant exhibitors and send meeting requests through a dedicated web app ahead of the show, with appointments remaining available throughout the event. The Business+ programme is aimed at packaging-sector project leaders looking to maximise their return on investment, while personalised visitor routes help identify solutions according to each professional profile. The Packaging & Materials, Design & Printing, Processing & Packaging Solutions, and Intralogistics & Transport sectors will bring together in the heart of Paris the entire value chain encountered in September at NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe.

“Business often begins with a meeting,” adds the show director. The meetings held in September 2026 prepare the ground for those in June 2027. Visitor badge registration will open in January 2027, priced at €45 including VAT online and €70 including VAT on site, with free admission for holders of an invitation code; pre-registration allows visitors to be notified as soon as registration opens. See you from Tuesday 29 June to Thursday 1 July 2027 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.