With the presentation of the studies “Checkout Trends 2026” and “Laden-Monitor 2026”, the EHI Retail Institute delivered a data-driven snapshot of where retail stands in a volatile economic environment at EuroShop 2026.
The studies proof, that even if retailers are under immense cost pressure, they continue to invest selectively, strategically and increasingly with long-term transformation in mind. Checkout systems are evolving into intelligent, connected ecosystems powered by AI and self-service logic. Store investments are becoming more selective, circular and efficiency-driven, without abandoning the ambition of high-quality retail environments.
Checkout Becomes a Connected Platform
The checkout area, once defined by physical terminals and linear processes, is undergoing structural change. According to “Checkout Trends 2026”, retailers see the checkout no longer as a fixed station but as an intelligent, connected platform.
The overall number of checkout systems continues to decline. Store closures driven by economic challenges and online competition are reducing the number of physical touchpoints. Even the expansion of self-checkout solutions has not reversed this trajectory.
Yet fewer tills do not mean less innovation. On the contrary, technological expectations are rising sharply. Sixty percent of retailers surveyed by EHI Retail institute identify AI support as the most pressing requirement in the checkout process — almost doubling compared to 2024. Artificial intelligence is expected to optimise processes, detect irregularities and enable predictive improvements in transaction flows.
Self-service solutions rank closely behind, as retailers aim to reduce waiting times and deploy staff more flexibly. Mobile devices with integrated checkout functions are also gaining relevance, allowing transactions to move directly onto the sales floor and dissolving the traditional boundary between browsing and paying.
As study author Cetin Acar notes, retailers are positioning themselves for the era of connected commerce, where efficiency, flexibility and innovation converge in one integrated system.
Modernisation Under Economic Constraints
Despite the strategic importance of checkout transformation, investment decisions are shaped by economic realities. The average age of checkout hardware has risen to 5.9 years, compared to 5.5 years in 2024. Instead of full system replacements, most retailers are opting for selective upgrades of components such as scanners, printers or displays. Only 22 percent are planning a complete system overhaul, even though 88 percent expect to modify their hardware within the next two years.
A similar pattern applies to software. With an average age of 6.9 years, many systems are technically due for renewal. Around half of the surveyed retailers plan to switch their checkout software. Increasingly, customised solutions are preferred, as they allow seamless integration into existing IT landscapes and enable rapid deployment of features such as contactless payment or loyalty integration.
The checkout, in other words, is becoming smarter — but through calculated, incremental steps rather than radical replacement.
Investment Shifts: Optimising the Existing Store Network
If checkout transformation reflects technological evolution, the “Laden-Monitor 2026” illustrates how physical retail space is being recalibrated under financial pressure.
Total investments in new construction, refurbishment and store modernisation in Germany reached €7.02 billion in 2025 — a decline of €2.1 billion or 23 percent compared to 2023. Rather than expanding aggressively, retailers are prioritising optimisation of existing locations. New openings are largely concentrated among price-oriented non-food chains and food and drugstore operators, often as relocations rather than net expansion.
Within food retail, however, investment per square metre has increased. For new stores up to 2,500 square metres of sales area, retailers invested €961 per square metre in 2025 — a 13 percent rise compared to 2022. Larger formats above 2,500 square metres reached €711 per square metre, up 5 percent over three years.
A significant share of these investments flows into refrigeration technology. Stricter F-gas regulations and the shift towards energy-efficient systems are driving capital expenditure, leaving less budget available for store design. As Claudia Horbert, EHI’s store design expert and study author, explains, retailers are responding by working with more cost-efficient materials, adjusted quality standards and the reuse of existing fixtures — a strategy long familiar in fashion retail.
Efficiency Meets Aesthetic Ambition
In the textile, footwear and sports sectors, the cost of furnishing a specialist store has decreased by 9.6 percent since 2023, now averaging €590 per square metre. Retailers have managed to reconcile aesthetic expectations with efficiency gains, particularly those operating under stagnant or shrinking store construction budgets.
Refurbishment cycles also differ markedly. Full refurbishments occur on average every 12 years in food retail and every 8.9 years in non-food retail, reflecting distinct competitive and merchandising dynamics.
Sustainability has moved from aspiration to operational principle. On average, retailers reuse around 50 percent of store fixtures after remodels. Forty-two percent have implemented circular systems internally or collaborate with suppliers offering circular product solutions. Material longevity, reduced resource consumption and upcycling are increasingly embedded in planning culture.
At the same time, expectations towards suppliers are rising. Retailers demand stronger innovation capabilities, advisory competence and collaborative development of new, sustainable furniture types. Tenders are becoming a decisive instrument for reshaping supplier networks, particularly in store fittings and lighting.
