Creative Retail Awards 2026 · Shoptalk, October 2026

The 2026 shortlist in full

More than 500 entries, five continents and one night to decide them. The 2026 results will be revealed live at The Clapham Grand on Thursday 15 October.

Entries

500+

Categories

20+

Continents

5

Shortlisted

113

The Creative Retail Awards published its 2026 Shortlist Guide in August, revealing the projects competing for the retail design industry’s most sought-after honours. Drawn from more than 500 entries, the shortlist spans more than 20 categories and five continents, taking in flagship stores, festive windows, pop-ups, hospitality, supermarkets and in-store visual merchandising. It is the most international list the Awards have produced.

The work reaches from Tokyo to New York and from Riyadh to Sydney. Contenders include Coach’s Winter Forest at the Lotte East Busan Outlet in South Korea and its Tabby Shop pop-up in Sydney, the Armani x Kith pop-up at Topping Rose House in New York, Bulgari’s Diva’s Dream in Riyadh, RH Paris on the Champs-Élysées and Twelve at House of Shinsegae Cheongdam in Seoul.

Closer to home, it has been a strong year for British retail. Fortnum & Mason appears for its Enchanted Christmas display and the window schemes A Perfect Spring Day and Fresh Tea Infusion. Harrods is recognised twice, for the fifth-floor Shoe Heaven scheme with Christian Louboutin and for Brunello Cucinelli’s Christmas takeover. Selfridges is shortlisted for its Beauty Hall and Disney Christmas Windows, while IKEA’s Oxford Street store makes the list for its LED window façade and immersive live studio.

The range of work is wider still. The Design Museum’s Wes Anderson exhibition sits alongside Pets at Home’s Vets for Pets rollout, and B&Q’s Wandsworth mural with artist Dominika Karc competes in Creative Collaboration against BOSS x Beckham and New Era’s MLB Subway Series. Sustainability runs strongly through the entries too, with Fortnum & Mason’s Resourceful Nature, Sainsbury’s Ecoform, Diesel’s Denim_Salling and Illium store and Woolworths South Africa’s sustainable Christmas tree all in contention.

“The shortlist speaks for itself. What strikes me most is how much of this work would have been unimaginable five years ago, and how much of it comes from outside the UK. Physical retail is in a far better creative state than the headlines suggest, and this Guide is the proof.”

Antony Behiels, SDEA Director and co-organiser of the Creative Retail Awards

Every shortlisted project

Project and the company credited in the Shortlist Guide. Green marks an SDEA member; see members on the shortlist.

Judged in one room, in one day

Independent judging is central to the credibility of the Creative Retail Awards. The organisers play no part in scoring or deciding the winners; every result is determined solely by an independent panel of respected industry professionals.

Judges first worked through every entry individually to narrow each category. They then met face to face in London for a full day to discuss, debate and challenge each other’s views before settling the results category by category. It is a deliberately unhurried process, and it is why a place on this shortlist carries real weight.

• Ian ScottRetail Consultant & Public Speaker
• David DalzielFormer Executive Creative Director
• Andrew BusbyRetail Industry Expert, Speaker & Writer
• Judith KellyHead of Retail Design and Delivery, Hammerson
• Matthew BrownRetail Futurist, Echochamber
• Barbara ChapmanCreative VM Consultant & Stylist
• Jack StrattenDirector, Insider Trends
• Tim NashCurator, Shop Drop Daily
• Isabella FishRetail Editor, The Times & The Sunday Times

The public’s choice: Shop Drop Spotlight Award

Run in partnership with Shop Drop Daily, the Shop Drop Spotlight Award is the one category placed wholly in the hands of the industry and the public. Ten UK projects that generated the strongest response from the Shop Drop Daily community over the past year went to a public vote, which closed on 4 September. The winner will be announced live on the night.

1. adidas, Hybrid Hotel, Caxton Works, London
2. Dr. Martens, The Art of Comfort Experience, The Outernet, London
3. HOKA, Run Stop Corner Shop, Bethnal Green Road, London
4. LANEIGE & Space NK, Pop-Up Activation, Covent Garden Piazza
5. LOEWE Perfumes, The Crafted Garden Pop-Up, The Selfridges Corner Shop
6. L’Oréal Paris, IWD Café & Cinema Pop-Up Space, London
7. Marc Jacobs, Daisy Wild Eau So Intense Pop-Up, Covent Garden
8. Nike, Women Store Opening, King’s Road, London
9. Prada and Miu Miu, Window and In-Store Takeover, Liberty London
10. The Blank Street, Post Room Pop-Up, Greek Street, London

The ceremony was held at The Clapham Grand on Thursday 15 October, where the public chose Dr. Martens’ The Art of Comfort Experience. See all the 2026 winners.

From Shoptalk, October 2026.

More from Shoptalk, October 2026

Members on the shortlistThirteen member companies, 52 of the 113 places. A grand new homeThe Awards move to The Clapham Grand on 15 October. Summer on the rooftopForty-seven guests at La-Yam Rooftop, Holborn, on 2 July. Networking at the VM & Display ShowThe SDEA Networking Evening, and Pardgroup takes Best Stand.

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