Viva Las Vegas! Smart store technology specialist VenHub expands its manufacturing capacity
VenHub Global, a US-based autonomous smart store technology specialist, has announced the opening of its second and larger production and assembly facility in Las Vegas.
This builds on the extension of an agreement with LAX/Metro, a partnership with Circa Resort & Casino for a first of its kind autonomous smart store deployment at the property, and additional agreements for new autonomous locations across Las Vegas.
“The opening of our second production facility is a defining moment in the continuing evolution of VenHub,” says Shahan Ohanessian, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at VenHub.
“We are no longer preparing to scale; we are now fully equipped to meet our growing demand and scale rapidly. With demand growing, new partnerships taking shape, and our footprint expanding, this facility gives us the capacity and power to assemble and deploy our smart stores faster. Every smart store we deliver is a customer served, a partner advanced, and a step toward the future of autonomous retail we set out to address.”
VenHub says that it is prioritising deployments across the transit and airports, campuses and universities, corporate and government, fuel and EV charging, venues and entertainment, and non-fuel convenience and retail sectors.
Doubling down
As mentioned earlier, VenHub has secured a two-year extension of the company’s partnership agreement with LA Metro for a store located at the LAX/Metro Transit Center at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
This opened in June 2025 and is positioned to help meet the retail demand of the expected hundreds of thousands of football (soccer) fans from around the world that will travel through LAX for the eight FIFA World Cup games taking place in Los Angeles beginning next month.
“Extending our partnership at the LAX/Metro Transit Center is a testament to the significant value VenHub can deliver to transportation partners in high traffic, staffing challenged retail locations,” says Ohanessian. “This flagship location has become a showcase for how fully autonomous smart stores enhance convenience, improve service levels, and operate reliably in high traffic environments around the clock.”
The store offers a mix of travel essentials, snacks, beverages, and everyday convenience items, all accessible through a self-service experience with no in-store staff required. The store’s modular, robotic design allows for rapid restocking, real-time inventory visibility, and data driven product optimisation designed to meet the needs of airport passengers and transit riders.
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Autonomous stores will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and 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 Wednesday, 4th November.
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.
