DELIVER Europe 2026 | Exhibition facilitates networking & conference programme
Retail and e-commerce logistics exhibition DELIVER Europe hosted 2,000 retail and logistics senior leaders in Amsterdam 3-4 June this year. UK visitors were there in large numbers, reports Waqas Qureshi.
Held at TAETS Event Park, Amsterdam, DELIVER Europe has established itself as one of the biggest annual gatherings where retail and supply chain’s senior leaders meet and discuss the challenges defining the industry’s future. Last year there were 135 exhibitors and 1,700 visitors, this year there was a 30% increase to 178 exhibitors, and 2,000 visitors. Visitors to the annual event are mainly Europeans – with a mix of Dutch, French, and German, but the highest number of visitors from one country were from the UK. Stéphane Tomczak, Founder & Chairman, DELIVER, said: “We have a lot of UK customers, you know, we have a DP in the UK, we have Royal Mail, even at sea, we have like Hives, we have two Manhattan Associates. The UK is the number one country we go when it comes to e-commerce in Europe. And also number one country in terms of packaging of package volume. So and this is what we want to reflect. ”Organisers said 9,000 meetings took place across the two days through the DELIVER precision matchmaking platform, which included connecting senior executives from Amazon, ASOS, eBay, John Lewis, Nike, Decathlon, ALDI SÜd Group, Urban Outfitters, Henkel, Electrolux, Mars, Oatly, Schneider Electric, LEGO, DHL, FedEx Express, Maersk, Amazon Shipping, Evri, DP World and more. Packaging & logisticsTomczak said after Covid, there were rises of paper cost – ‘huge rises’, and that retailers coming to DELIVER have wide range of investment projects – technology, delivery, fulfilment, and packaging all show up as live priorities. “Packaging specifically, including packaging machines, is a real focus area on the exhibition floor: 18% of our solution providers this year offer packaging or packaging machines as a service, with specialists like CMC Packaging Automation and Allpack among them. ”Sustainability evolutionHe said sustainability has evolved significantly: “What’s interesting is how the nature of the conversation has shifted, not just the volume of it. In the early years it was mostly about awareness: getting sustainability onto the agenda at all. Now, through our own Sustainability Pulse research, we’re seeing an industry that’s moved past that into a much harder, more honest phase. This year, 56% of leaders told us they see their organisation as advanced or leading on sustainability maturity, but only 16% were fully confident their data would hold up to an audit. ”He said that on packaging and logistics specifically, those are now the two areas leaders point to as having the most tangible progress – not just activity, but real operational change. “The honest wins are the ones that pay for themselves: packaging redesigns with payback in under a year, better truck load-fill, shifting freight to rail or barge. Sustainability used to be treated as a cost centre; now it’s increasingly the thing that also cuts cost, which is a much stronger driver than a compliance mandate ever was. ”DELIVER Vendor AwardsThe DELIVER Vendor Awards are voted for by attending retailers. They vote for the suppliers they rate most highly, across categories like Rising Star, Customer Experience, Brand Excellence, Game Changer and Sustainability. This year’s winners were Rising Star – GOFO; Customer Experience – GLS; Brand Excellence – Maersk; Game Changer – Parcel Perform, and Sustainability – Bring. Conference programmeThe conference programme offered 70+ hours of content across the two days, featuring keynote sessions, expert panels and roundtable discussions tackling the most pressing challenges in retail supply chain. Key themes included the real-world impact of AI and digital transformation, net-zero and circular supply chain innovation, cross-chain collaboration and the future of supply chain leadership. Roundtables brought together operational leaders from brands including Coty, Bonduelle, Decathlon and Jack Wolfskin for peer-to-peer debate. Speakers included Kirsty Keoghan, general manager Fashion & Luxury EU at eBay; Dane Percy, VP of research and development Petcare at Mars and more. Arne Jeroschewski, founder and chief executive, Parcel Perform, said: “What we like about DELIVER is that we have senior stakeholders that we can interact with. We have meaningful conversations… [the pre-arranged meetings] mean you can sit down, understand their use case, and get the chance to really present what you can bring to the table. ”Jurgen Leijdekker, chief executive, nShift, added: “Our conversations at DELIVER 2026 explored how retailers are turning deliveries into growth. AI-driven shopping, aka agentic commerce, drove many conversations. When shoppers delegate researching and comparing products to AI agents, they need only get involved in paying and arranging delivery. “Cross-border ecommerce was another theme. Growing fast, it accounts for 30% of online sales in Europe. But many businesses miss the opportunity, worrying about the need to invest upfront in local delivery infrastructure. ”Tomczak said: “9,000 meetings across two days is not just a number – it represents thousands of partnerships in the making, problems being solved and relationships that will shape the industry for years to come. We are incredibly proud of what DELIVER Europe has become. ”