Retail & Consumer Goods

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – August 27, 2025 – KHS GmbH has reached a new milestone in its sustainability journey, earning a platinum medal from EcoVadis for the first time in its history. The recognition places the Dortmund-based engineering group among the top 1% of more than 150,000 companies assessed globally, underscoring its strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance and strategic alignment with global reporting standards.

Elevating ESG Standards Beyond Industry Norms
KHS advanced from last year’s gold level by improving its score from 75 to 86 out of 100, with notable progress in labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. The rating framework assessed up to 21 criteria across ESG categories, reflecting how packaging and beverage equipment manufacturers are increasingly benchmarked against transparent, comparable metrics.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – August 27, 2025 – KHS GmbH, a global systems provider in the beverage and liquid food packaging sector, has achieved the EcoVadis Platinum Medal, positioning itself in the top 1% of over 150,000 companies evaluated worldwide. With an improved score of 86 out of 100 points, the recognition underscores the company’s advances in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance and provides customers with an independently validated benchmark of its sustainability commitment.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – August 27, 2025 – Turkish conglomerate Gürok Group, best known as one of the world’s largest producers of glassware and bottles, has entered the competitive mineral water market with its new brand AVOYA. Backed by KHS’ advanced German filling and packaging systems, the company is positioning itself to capture rising consumer demand for healthy, premium beverages in Turkey.

Strategic Expansion into Beverages
Gürok’s entry into the beverage sector marks a calculated diversification strategy for the group. With strong roots in glass manufacturing, branching into bottled water was a natural extension. Following extensive consumer research, Gürok established its subsidiary AVOYA, launching its first bottles in March 2024. The company focused on consumer-driven insights, with taste, trust, and quality emerging as top purchasing factors in the Turkish market.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – August 27, 2025 – In one week, the Association for Vertical Farming e.V. (AVF) gathers global decision-makers at the H4 Hotel München Messe for a two-day forum focused on controlled environment agriculture (CEA), vertical farming, and resilient food systems. Backed by Messe Dortmund and VertiFarm—with support from the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Tourism—the 9th AVF Summit (September 3–4) aligns technical innovation with policy signals and investment pathways to help operators move from pilots to profitable, climate-ready scale.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – August 27, 2025 – The Association for Vertical Farming (AVF), in collaboration with Messe Dortmund, is set to host the ninth AVF Summit – powered by VertiFarm, from September 3–4, 2025 at the H4 Hotel München Messe. Framed under the theme “Global Food Challenges: Vertical Farming as a Catalyst for Innovation & Climate Action,” the summit positions itself as a premier platform for international decision-makers, researchers, and industry innovators shaping the next generation of food production systems.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – August 27, 2025 – The 39th International Trade Fair for Retail Promotions and Imports (IAW) is set to return to Cologne from September 2–4, 2025, bringing together 280 exhibitors from over 30 countries and thousands of professional buyers. Positioned as Europe’s leading ordering platform for retail promotions, the event continues to blend product diversity, competitive sourcing, and forward-looking e-commerce strategies under one roof.

A Marketplace for Retail Innovation

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – August 26, 2025 – The ECR Tag 2025 in Cologne is set to bring together leaders from retail, consumer goods, and technology for two days of strategy-focused exchange, highlighting how AI, collaboration, and consumer-centric innovation are redefining competitive growth models in the sector.

AI-Driven Retail Transformation on the Agenda
Artificial intelligence will be a central theme at this year’s event, with executives from Amazon Web Services outlining how AI agents are reshaping category management and retail operations. The focus extends beyond automation, emphasizing decision intelligence, real-time personalization, and supply chain optimization as key levers for retailers adapting to shifting consumer expectations.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – August 26, 2025 – GS1 Germany and Meta are set to co-host the Retail Summit 2025 on November 5 in Cologne, bringing together leading retailers, technology providers, and brand executives to explore how artificial intelligence, retail media, and immersive experiences are reshaping commerce across Europe. Under the theme “Where Technology Meets Experience,” the event aims to highlight best practices from both established brands and Silicon Valley innovators.

A Platform for Retail AI and Emerging Technologies

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – August 26, 2025 – Zukunft Personal Europe (ZP Europe) is set to mark its 25th anniversary with a forward-looking edition in Cologne from September 9–11, 2025. Positioned under the theme “Time for New Beginnings”, the event will move beyond retrospectives to highlight transformation strategies, cutting-edge HR technology, and organizational models for a rapidly evolving workplace.

From HR Fair to European Transformation Hub

Once launched as a specialized HR trade fair, Zukunft Personal has evolved into Europe’s leading platform for people and organizational performance. In 2025, the anniversary event aims to showcase how businesses can address interconnected challenges in leadership, digitalization, workplace culture, and resilience. Organizers emphasize that the focus is no longer just human resources, but broader structural change shaping enterprises across industries.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – August 10, 2025 – Midea Group will make a significant statement at this year’s IFA trade fair, occupying an expansive 2,600-square-meter exhibition space in Hall 5.1. The showcase will feature a diverse portfolio of home appliance and air conditioning solutions, with first-time participation from Küppersbusch Hausgeräte GmbH and its premium brands Küppersbusch and Teka, alongside U.S.-based vacuum cleaner specialist Eureka.

A Unified Platform for Global Brand Visibility

Under the overarching theme “Humanizing Technology,” Midea Group aims to highlight product innovations designed around user experience, energy efficiency, and lifestyle integration. For Küppersbusch and Teka, the event marks a strategic entry onto the IFA stage, allowing these European brands to strengthen their market positioning through direct engagement with international distributors, retailers, and technology partners.