Baltic Retail Forum 2026 Estonia
What if one day could reset how you think about your stores, people, and customers?
Baltic Retail Forum returns to Tallinn for its 24th edition – bringing together Estonia’s retailers and technology innovators to explore what’s really coming next in retail. Expect honest insights, fresh ideas, and practical solutions you can start using as soon as you’re back at work.
When? April 16
Where? Radisson Collection Hotel, Tallinn
Retail in Estonia is shifting fast – from customer expectations to workforce pressures to the rise of AI and new regulations. Baltic Retail Forum 2026 helps you cut through the noise and see what really matters for your stores, teams, and results. You’ll hear honest insights, learn from real cases, and discover technologies that can make an immediate difference in your daily operations.
It’s one day designed to give you clarity, confidence, and practical ideas you can take straight back to your business. What we’ll dive into this year:
Smarter stores:
how technology is changing daily work – and where your team’s human strengths matter most
Market clarity for 2026:
what Estonia’s economic and consumer trends really mean for your pricing, planning, and performance
A stronger, more resilient workforce:
practical ways to attract, engage, and retain reliable frontline retail employees
Panel discussion: Innovate or Not to Innovate?
Panel will explore a question increasingly relevant to today’s retail landscape: Where is the line between technology that brings real value and technology implemented simply for the sake of innovation?
Participants will be invited to reflect on how retailers can distinguish meaningful, ROI-driven digital advancement from “innovation theatre,” where solutions look impressive but fail to deliver measurable benefits. The discussion will touch on practical challenges, strategic decision‑making, and the balance between staying competitive and staying rational.
Kristel Mets
Country Managing Director at Rimi Eesti Food AS
Rainer Rohtla
CEO at Coop Eesti Keskühistu
Diana Gegelyte
CEO at MAXIMA EESTI
Tiia Nõmm
Head of Marketing and Corporate Responsibility at Ülemiste Center
Conference topics and speakers
All presentations will feature simultaneous interpretation from English to Estonian and vice versa.
Mark Thomson
Retail Industry Director EMEA at Zebra Technologies
The Connected Frontline, how retail staff are still relevant in the age of AI
Ene Liske
Senior Retail Vertical Executive at NielsenIQ
Consumer Insight & Retail Overview
Mihkel Nestor
Chief economist at SEB bank
What’s up with the economy
The year 2026 has started on a more positive note for the economy, but similar false starts have been seen in previous years as well. A large share of working people have nevertheless become better off, thanks to the introduction of a uniform tax-free allowance. Whether—and where—they are willing to spend this additional income is another question. What will Estonia’s economic outlook look like in the near future?
Paul-Markus Orav
Sales Manager at BIURO
Frontline workers in retail: how to find, onboard, and retain good employees
In today’s rapidly changing labour market, competition for blue-collar workers is no longer just about pay. What really matters when they choose a job, and what makes them walk away? Discover data-driven insights into what drives job choice, what builds long-term satisfaction, and how employers can turn these insights into stronger recruitment and retention strategies.
Hanno Kallmeyer
Presales SE Manager Northern EMEA at NCR Voyix
Impact of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) on retail checkout
Stay tuned – more details are on the way
Forum partners
The event will be photographed and/or filmed, so please be aware that you may be featured in photos or videos of the event, and these photos or videos may be posted on publicly available social networks or media.