In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton sits down with Romain Roulleau, Group Digital & Ecommerce Director at Kingfisher, to unpack how one of Europe’s largest home improvement retailers plans to grow ecommerce from 21% to 30% of total sales.
Romain explains why stores sit at the center of Kingfisher’s digital strategy, how marketplaces are transforming DIY retail, and why AI in home improvement requires a very different approach than categories like grocery or apparel. The conversation also dives into omnichannel fulfillment, click-and-collect innovation, retail media, and why project-based shopping changes everything for ecommerce and AI personalization.
Plus, why Kingfisher is prioritizing customer journey support over AI-powered checkout and what retailers still misunderstand about the future of agentic commerce.
Key Topics Covered:
• Kingfisher’s strategy to grow ecommerce to 30%
• Why stores are central to modern digital retail
• How click-and-collect is evolving in marketplace ecommerce
• Integrating third-party marketplace products into in-store shopping
• Why DIY retail is uniquely complex for AI and personalization
• The future of AI agents in home improvement retail
• How retail media differs between 1P and 3P marketplace sellers
• Why Kingfisher sees stores as a competitive advantage vs. pure-play ecommerce
• The operational challenges behind large-scale omnichannel retail
• Why AI-powered checkout may still be years away
Thank you to Vusion for supporting Omni Talk Retail’s live coverage from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin.
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