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UNIC Retail Group Meeting 2026

The meeting brought together cinema managers of F&B, business development and retail, as well as representatives of national associations, to explore the latest trends in retail, customer experience, and sustainability. The first day kicked off with an introduction from Stephanie Morgner, Senior Director Away from Home at Coca-Cola, who explained the objectives of the meeting. Sonia Ragone from UNIC then delivered an industry update showing 2025 results on cinema-going across Europe. 

The day continued with presentations from Juliette Maslard, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Julie Helard, Coca-Cola Europe, who shared valuable insights on the away from home market, including excerpts from a new Coca-Cola consumer cinema study conducted across Germany, Poland, Romania, Spain and the UK. Alexandre Haezebaert, Technical Lead of the Just Walk Out technology by Amazon presented the functioning of frictionless and unattended retail concept, with practical case studies and potential application to cinemas. Prill Brewin and Sarah Girling from the Blue Stocking Partnership gave an overview on new retail trends and inspiration from other businesses.

UNIC and Cola-Cola held a presentation on sustainability, both from a EU legal perspective impacting cinemas’ operations and in terms of current and upcoming green initiatives in cinema concessions.

The Retail Meeting was a great opportunity to remind attendees about the ongoing call for applications for the Retail Award, which rewards innovative concession concepts and initiatives taking place in European cinemas. The second edition of the Award will be celebrated at CineEurope. 

The end of the meeting was marked by a presentation from Laura Aidelsberg from Pathé France, who presented Pathé Group’s history, its results and some of its most innovative projects. 

The day ended with visits to Pathé Quai d’Ivry and UGC CineCité Bercy, known for their outstanding concessions areas, and a group dinner to the Italian food court La Felicità.

The second day was packed with very insightful visits, from the dome-shaped IMAX cinema La Géode, managed by Pathé, to the food court and entertainment centre Boom Boom Villette, followed by visit to Pathé Palace and Pathé BNB Paribas, then the high-end retail outlet La Fayette Gourmet and concluding with the remarkable historic cinema Le Grand Rex.

Huge thanks to the Coca-Cola Company and The Blue Stocking Partnership for co-organising these two days!