Retailing

Retail in Sweden continued to be affected by the challenging Swedish macroeconomic environment in 2023, characterised by negative real GDP growth and high inflation rates. The high inflationary pressure on prices especially affected groceries, but…

Retail sales in Switzerland in 2023 saw minimal current value growth, which was solely driven by price increases. Paradoxically, this was also one of the main limiting factors on demand. Substantial increases in the cost of living made local…

Retail in the Netherlands saw positive growth in current value terms in 2023 but this was largely reflective of the impact of inflation and price rises rather than an increase in consumption. Many channels actually reported declining volume sales in…

In 2023, soaring inflation rates, an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, low consumer confidence and limited spending subdued the retail industry in the UK. Consumers continued to downgrade product purchases to mitigate the negative effects of the…

The digital revolution has been rewiring retail for years, leading to new business models, commerce ecosystems and channels for reaching and engaging consumers. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this transition, as e-commerce became the default…

The digital revolution has been rewiring retail for years. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this transition as e-commerce became the default setting for many homebound consumers. The crisis-inspired surge in e-commerce is leading to a permanent…

Retail registered both an increase in current and constant value sales in 2023. The Turkish economy improved somewhat in 2023, as significant interest rates hikes and significant currency devaluation dampened inflation. However, inflation remained…

Small local grocers was also characterised by a reluctance to spend among consumers in 2023, as inflation and the cost of living have risen sharply since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis in spring 2022. Sales rose sharply again in 2023, although…

Small local grocers in Belgium registered only modest growth current value terms in 2023. Moreover, this was largely due to inflationary pressures, with the number of outlets continuing to decline. With players facing rising operating costs, these…

As life returned to normal in Denmark in 2023, consumers continued to shop more in stores and small local grocers benefited from this development. However, small local grocers also faced growing competition from the major chains and especially from…

Small local grocers in Finland remained the smallest grocery retail channel in Finland in 2023. Its significance within grocery retailers has been on a slow decline for a long time, although there was a slight increase in value sales in 2022/2023 due…

As the cost of groceries continued to increase in 2023, small independent grocery stores faced intensified competition from chained outlets. Small local grocers suffer from limited bargaining power and struggle to manage rising operational expenses…

Small local grocers in Germany recorded the lowest current value growth among all grocery retailing channels in 2023. This corresponded to a strong decline in constant terms due to the historically high inflation during the year; food and…

While small local grocers saw current value growth in Greece in 2023, the channel’s expansion was less rapid than that seen in other areas of grocery retailing. Grocery stores that specialise in Asian, Mexican and other ethnic cuisines did see an…

Sales in small local grocers start to creep up again in Ireland in 2023. However, some challenges remain, as this channel also faces competition from other retail options. Whilst small local grocers tend to offer proximity convenience to consumers,…

Smal local grocers continued to suffer from fierce competition from other retailers in 2023, including larger format grocery retailers, but especially discounters. Despite this, small local grocers maintained a positive growth trajectory in current…

Small local grocers accounts for a negligible share of overall value sales within grocery retailers. Like most other grocery retail channels, small local grocers saw exceptional current value growth in 2020 in the first year of the pandemic, as…

Small local grocers in Portugal continued to lose competitiveness in 2023; the consequence of strong inflation rates, increasing costs and the growing competition from larger players. For example, it is easier for supermarkets to implement deals,…

Small local grocers saw only modest growth in current value terms in 2023 while the number of outlets continued to decline, following the pattern seen throughout the review period. During the first year of the pandemic, small local grocers benefited…

Small local grocers in Sweden form part of the very well-developed grocery retailing infrastructure in the market. However, grocery retailing continued to be dominated by major large modern retailers like ICA, Lidl, Coop and Axfood at the end of the…