Retailing

Convenience stores recovered with positive growth in retail value terms in 2021, following the sharp decline in value sales in 2020, when shops were forced to operate reduced opening hours or stay closed. All the same, as many convenience stores are…

Departments stores registered a rebound after outlet closures during the 2020 lockdowns. With stores operating at normal capacity, current values sales registered a healthy increase. However, value sales were still lower than before the onset of…

E-commerce continued to gain significant value share in 2021. While growth was not as high as in 2020, when value sales increased by more nearly third, there was very healthy double-digit value growth in 2021. The fact that online shopping continued…

Food and drink e-commerce registered an exponential rise in value sales during the height of the pandemic in 2020. In 2021, with society opening up, current value sales fell, but were still significantly higher than before the onset of COVID-19. The…

Health and beauty specialists registered a slight decline in value sales in 2021, due to its largest channel, chemists/pharmacies, registering a significant drop in value sales, as consumers were less concerned about COVID-19. Also, as many consumers…

Unlike many other retailers during the 2020 pandemic, home and gardening performed well, as with people confined to home, home improvement and gardening stores performed well, as consumers look to renovation work and gardening during the lockdowns.…

Homeshopping has been on a constant downward trend over the review period and this continued into 2021, with a further decline in value sales. Homeshopping is losing ground to online sales, with the profile of homeshopping consumers mainly older…

Mobile e-commerce registered an even higher increase in current value sales in 2021 than e-commerce overall and mobile e-commerce now accounts for nearly half of total e-commerce sales. The healthy growth is supported by very high penetration of…

Traditional grocery retailers gained from the pandemic lockdowns, as with people’s movements being restricted, they shopped in local neighbourhood stores. Essentially COVID-19 had the effect of boosting the growing trend for shopping locally and…

Variety stores are a small retailing channel in terms of value sales in Switzerland. However, variety stores are gaining some value share and registered positive current value growth both in 2020 and 2021. Variety stores benefit from Swiss consumers’…

In Norway, general merchandise stores only includes variety stores, as there are no department stores in the country. In 2020, the channel saw exceptional current value growth as consumers looked for items such as cleaning products when the pandemic…

In 2021 and 2022, apparel and footwear specialist retailers in France saw strong current value growth as they began their post-pandemic recovery. However, inflationary pressures have since reduced household spending on discretionary goods. In 2023…

Current value sales in appliances and electronic specialists slumped in 2023 after slowing down in 2022. This downward trend is partly explained by the post-pandemic normalisation of sales in tech and consumer and home appliance products, with surges…

The quick commerce (q-commerce) sector in France, with its ultra-fast grocery delivery services, expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, gaining ground across urban areas. This growth was fuelled by lockdowns that pushed demand for services…

Direct selling was unexpectedly successful in France around the time of pandemic. Initially facing a downturn in early 2020, it rebounded in 2021. Though the overall category has slumped again in 2023, continuing 2022’s downward trend, this fall was…

Against a challenging economic background discounters is proving to be a resilient format in retail in France in 2023, as one of the most dynamic distribution channels. Discounters has the advantage of affordability and high appeal to…

Department stores in France has witnessed a significant post-pandemic turnaround over 2021-23, recovering from a particularly challenging 2020, which marked one of the retail market's lowest performances. The strong rebound was driven by an increase…

Beauty specialists benefitted from the continued post-pandemic return to increased time spent socialising and working outside of the home in France in 2023. Demand rose in categories like colour cosmetics, among others. Similarly, optical goods…

Pet shops and superstores in France remained resilient in 2023 despite economic constraints and squeezed household budgets. With consumers having continued to show dedication to their pets during the pandemic, when they spent substantially increased…

The initial phase of the pandemic saw proximity-focused convenience stores and supermarkets thrive as travel curbs encouraged local shopping. With the return of pre-pandemic routines, hypermarket outlets have seen a surge in footfall, benefitting…