The 23rd "World of Trade" International Convention has concluded in Almaty — the region's largest industry event, bringing together retail chains, suppliers, manufacturers, retail real-estate developers and technology companies. Fr om 28 to 30 May 2026, the convention was attended by 487 retail-market professionals from twenty countries: Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey, China, Armenia, Belarus, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Spain, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, the UAE, Ukraine, France, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Tajikistan.

The convention's key practical format was the "World of Trade" Procurement Centre, wh ere suppliers met face-to-face with buyers fr om major retail chains in eight countries — Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Belarus. Over three days, a total of 5,550 B2B negotiations took place; according to participants' preliminary estimates, these meetings could result in around one hundred contracts.

The business programme was built around the key issues facing modern retail. Participants discussed fresh data on the Central Asian market, the transformation of consumer behaviour, the development of FMCG and non-food retail, assortment management, automation, digitalisation and the use of AI tools. A separate block was devoted to dialogue between chains and suppliers: commercial terms, quality and supply standards, pricing, and practical routes for FMCG suppliers to enter retail chains across Central Asia and Eurasia.

A prominent place in the programme was given to a discussion between retail real-estate developers and non-food tenants. The conversation covered the new logic of foot traffic, the evolution of shopping centres and the role of tenants in shaping the modern retail environment.

In the e-commerce block, participants addressed the balance between online and offline channels, while the AI session focused less on the capabilities of artificial intelligence and more on the need for a unified customer journey, end-to-end data and the operational feasibility of solutions.


Participants themselves highlighted the practical value of the programme.

"It is very useful for retailers and developers to meet at events like this and discuss current trends and plans as a whole," noted Sagynysh Kuanyshbekova, General Director of the MOSKVA Shopping and Entertainment Centre (Kazakhstan).

"Expectations were largely met. The top executives of the chains are here, ready to share their experience and engage with suppliers. On top of that, there were plenty of negotiations at the procurement session," added Sergey Ilyukha, business coach and board member of the Russian Association of Retail Market Experts (RARME).

On the third day, participants were taken on a tour of new formats in modern FMCG retail — Small Food, SPAR Kazakhstan and Magnum — wh ere they assessed the principles of zoning, automation and shelf-space organisation, and discussed cooperation opportunities with the chains' management.

The next  24th "World of Trade" Convention will take place on 15–17 October 2026 in Almaty.