VenHub gears up to launch fully operational 24/7 autonomous store at NRF 2026

VenHub Global will showcase one of its fully operational Smart Stores at NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show, taking place from 11th-13th January at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.

At booth #6625 on Level 3, NRF attendees will experience a live, unattended 24’ x 10’ x 10’ store stocked with hundreds of everyday essentials. This will be fully functional and available for real-time use, allowing visitors to place live orders directly from their smartphones, and watch the robotics in action.

“NRF is where the industry talks about the future of retail,” says Shahan Ohanessian, Founder and CEO at VenHub. “We are not going to NRF 2026 to talk about a future solution. We will be live at the show demonstrating what is already working in live deployments in multiple communities. Our Smart Store operates 24/7, without staff, and delivers the kind of retail experience today’s world demands: fast, secure, contactless, and always available.”

Ohanessian adds: “The moment people try it for the first time, you see it click. They realise this is not a prototype for the future of retail. It is a clean, intuitive, live retail experience today. That is what continues to set VenHub and our Smart Store apart from the industry. Our mission is simple: make smarter, autonomous retail accessible, sustainable, and scalable. We are proud to bring that experience to New York and the international retail community.”

VenHub has live deployments across the US, including Los Angeles Union Station, LAX Metro Transit Center, and the Hollywood Bowl. Designed for high traffic environments, each Smart Store combines robotic automation, real-time inventory tracking, mobile first checkout, and centralised oversight with the aim of delivering reliable, unattended shopping at scale.

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Autonomous stores will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards will open for entries in April. They celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.