Shoptalk, the leading global event series for retail and e-commerce, today announced the launch of Shoptalk Luxe, with Abu Dhabi as its Host City Partner. Set to take place in January 2026 at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, Shoptalk Luxe is poised to become the world’s most senior gathering of decision-makers shaping the future of premium retail. Whether part of the luxury sector or dedicated to delivering elevated customer experiences, Shoptalk Luxe brings together those who prioritize exclusivity, cutting-edge storytelling, and next-gen customer interactions.

“Today’s consumers expect an elevated, personalized experience across all touchpoints. As the bar for customer service, personalization, and seamless experiences continues to rise, Shoptalk Luxe is here to help retailers at all levels stay ahead.” said Sophie Wawro, President of Shoptalk. “Shoptalk Luxe builds on Shoptalk's reputation for bringing together the retail industry’s most innovative minds and influential voices. At this show, we’ll be exploring many lessons from the luxury sector, but we’ll also be looking beyond to explore a new era of exceptional, immersive customer experiences that any brand can learn from—whether you’re rooted in exclusivity or aiming to elevate everyday retail. We are delighted to be bringing this exciting next chapter for Shoptalk to Abu Dhabi, in January 2026.”

The retail sector in the Gulf region has seen remarkable growth, with further expansion anticipated through 2027 and beyond. Building on this momentum, Abu Dhabi is positioning itself to unlock the immense potential of its luxury retail market by capitalising on its strategic location between East and West and status as a premier destination for culture, tourism, and investment. With its blend of global connectivity, and innovation-driven growth, Abu Dhabi is the ideal host city for Shoptalk Luxe’s global audience. 

“Outside of the luxury sector, low-cost, ultra-fast fashion brands are dominating the value-driven market, putting pressure on established retailers to premiumise their offerings and elevate their customer experience to remain competitive. Luxury brands, meanwhile, have long mastered the art of delivering exclusivity, superior quality, and impeccable service—but they, too, face opportunities to evolve and innovate. This creates a dynamic space for both luxury and premium brands to exchange insights, blending the high-touch expertise of luxury with fresh approaches to growth and differentiation.” Sophie added, “Shoptalk Luxe is here to explore what’s next for the sector, fostering innovation for luxury brands while showcasing how others can learn from the high-end, high-touch approach.”

Shoptalk Luxe is set to attract leading players from the $1.5 trillion global luxury market, which is projected to grow by more than 10% annually. With over 2,500 attendees expected to gather in Abu Dhabi from all over the globe, Shoptalk Luxe will feature over 180 speakers from the most innovative consumer brands and retailers. The three-day event will feature main stage keynote conversations with the leaders that are at the forefront of the strategies, issues, and technologies impacting the global retail ecosystem, including the latest developments in next-level customer experience, seamless customer personalisation and digitalisation, cross industry collaboration, influencer storytelling and more.

Shoptalk Luxe attendees can also take advantage of Meetup, the retail industry’s biggest and most efficient 1-2-1 meeting programme, with more than 20,000 meetings expected to take place over the course of the three-day show.

Chalhoub Group, the leading partner of luxury experiences in the Middle East will be a Launch Partner of the event, with more global partners set to be announced soon.

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About Shoptalk

A Hyve event, Shoptalk is widely known for organizing retail’s best and fastest-growing events and bringing together thousands of industry changemakers to collaborate at unparalleled scale across a broad range of online and offline use cases and innovative new formats, including Tabletalks, Hosted Meetings and Meetups. Since 2016, Shoptalk has defined the retail industry’s community of innovators by bringing established retailers and brands together with direct-to-consumer and tech startups, large tech and Internet companies, venture capital investors, real estate developers, equity analysts, media and others. For more information, visit www.shoptalk.com

Contacts

For more information, please contact:

George Morin
Director of Public Relations

pr@shoptalk.com | (917) 364-8737