Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Providing the space to source smarter and scale faster, NHS Concept to Commerce is the retail industry’s premier event connecting retailers, product development teams, wholesalers and distributors with inventors, private label partners and global factories, streamlining product discovery, supplier sourcing and speed to market.
The National Hardware Show (NHS) has evolved into NHS Concept to Commerce to better meet the needs of a dynamic home improvement industry.
“We’re excited that this year the event has evolved into NHS Concept to Commerce,” says Joelle Cohn, VIP attendee manager. “We listened to our exhibitor and attendee feedback, and our new show will reflect that. We know seeing new products is one of the main reasons retailers come to NHS, and that certainly will be the case in 2026, along with offering even more.”
Bringing together the people and processes that shape modern retail products, at NHS Concept to Commerce retailers will be able to compare capabilities, capacity and quality across a wide range of manufacturing and private label partners in one place, helping you make better-informed decisions that support margin and growth.
The show will offer a spot for retail buyers seeking exclusive, early-stage access to new products and innovation.
“We’ve redesigned the show to reflect our customers’ needs today, who have more pressure and less time to bring new products to market in order to stay competitive,” says event director Hector Morfin Chong. “This event is about helping attendees move smarter and faster—so they leave with connections, products and partners that actually drive business.”
In the Global Manufacturing and Private Label Pavilion, attendees will meet vetted international suppliers from over 40 countries, while the Brand Pavilion will feature a curated showcase of new products from leading brands and emerging creators debuting at NHS. The Inventor Pavilion will be expanded for 2026 and new this year is the Product Journey Experience, an immersive experience where you can sketch a product and leverage technologies and AI tools to make the product shelf ready in an instant.
“We’re focusing on efficiency this year; attendee feedback was very strong about this. Attendees will be able to shop between 20 to 40 countries in one stop in Vegas,” Morfin Chong says. “We are also encouraging retailers to bring their entire team, and we’re giving them meeting room space so they can hold meetings in private to discuss business they might not necessarily want to discuss on the show floor. NHS Concept to Commerce will be a great opportunity for operations to bring a number of team members.”
For independent retailers, NHS Concept to Commerce offers a unique way to walk the show floor and find new and innovative products they won’t see at other shows, Cohen says.
“This allows them to bring in something new and different to their retail location that might not be offered to them at other shows,” she says.
Building Knowledge and Relationships
Along with exploring the show floor, retailers can learn from real-world case studies, educational sessions led by industry experts and on-floor conversations that focus on practical ways to improve profitability, manage risk and build products that succeed in the market. Sessions that are a part of NHS Expert Talks will include State of the Industry: The New Realities of Home Improvement and the Acceleration of Private Label with Scott Wright, president of the North American Hardware and Paint Association, Grant Farnsworth, president of The Farnsworth Group and Marine Sargsyan, head economist at Houzz. Other presentations will cover how artificial intelligence is transforming procurement, pricing and demand forecasting, how to drive margins and loyalty with private brands and ideating with generative AI. Several sessions will also focus on women in the industry, with female leaders sharing how to become unmistakable and seen in the industry, how they built successful businesses and buying, sourcing and shelving products from a woman’s perspective.
On Tuesday evening, attendees are invited to Atomic Golf for an evening designed to bring the industry together in an exciting and unforgettable setting to strengthen existing relationships and spark new ones.
“Events exist to support the industries they serve, and this is the evolution of the NHS,” Morfin Chong says. “It’s collaborative, global and built for real results—NHS Concept to Commerce puts the full ecosystem in one room. Find new products. Source smarter. Build your brand with speed and confidence.”
New to You
NHS Marketing Director Highlights What’s Coming
Hardware Retailing (HR): What will Concept to Commerce offer that past National Hardware Shows did not?
Lauren Csire, NHS marketing director (LC): NHS Concept to Commerce expands beyond merchandising to reflect how products are developed and sourced today, building on what made the National Hardware Show valuable and giving retailers clearer insight into the decisions shaping what reaches store shelves.
The event will still feature ready-for-market product showcases, established and emerging brands and inventors, the elements long associated with the National Hardware Show, while broadening to include product development, private brand growth, global sourcing and supplier collaboration. Attendees can engage earlier in the process by exploring materials, manufacturing partners and design expertise that impact cost, speed to market and margins.
For corporate sourcing teams, this creates a more strategic environment to evaluate suppliers and reduce risk. For hardware retailers, wholesalers and distributors, it offers greater visibility into where innovation begins and how sourcing decisions are made earlier in the process.
HR: Will there be any aspects of NHS that will still be a part of Concept to Commerce?
LC: Absolutely. The core strengths of NHS remain, but they’ve been refined and expanded.
Attendees will still find product discovery and innovation showcases, face-to-face supplier meetings and category-spanning assortments relevant to home improvement and hardware. What’s new is how those elements are organized and supported. NHS Concept to Commerce introduces purpose-built environments based on business need, deeper educational content, curated exhibitor recommendations and networking designed to connect the right people faster, whether that’s a buyer evaluating finished goods or a sourcing team vetting manufacturing partners.
In short, the familiarity and energy of NHS are still there but with a clearer structure and stronger focus on helping attendees make smarter, more profitable decisions at every stage from idea to shelf.
HR: What are you looking forward to most at Concept to Commerce?
LC: The quality of conversations and the outcomes that result from partnerships formed on the show floor. NHS brings together the full retail supply chain to solve shared challenges—from margin pressure and lead-time volatility to private brand growth and cost control.
The 2026 event is designed to encourage more meaningful, solution-driven discussions, supported by Expert Talks conference tracks that help initiate and accelerate real-world results. We’re especially excited to see cross-functional retail teams—buying, sourcing, product development and innovation—coming together to align decisions that ultimately impact profitability across the organization. That collaboration is where real value is created, and it’s what the new NHS is designed to enable.
