The State of Grocery Retail Europe 2024
For the European grocery industry, 2023 was a challenging year. Inflation led consumers to tighten their belts, leading to a drop in volume and significant downtrading. Discounters and private labels benefited from this market environment and were yet again the winners of the year. In 2024, we expect macroeconomic uncertainty to persist, but our research indicates the first small signs of recovery. While most consumer segments are still price sensitive and trading down, some segments show an increased appetite for high-quality and organic products.
2024 overview
After a challenging 2023 for Europe’s grocery retailers, new McKinsey research uncovers encouraging consumer trends that could fuel a rebound in the coming year.
Report
State of Grocery Europe 2024: Signs of Hope
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Although economic uncertainty will likely persist in 2024, grocery retailers could fuel profitable growth by future-proofing...
Interview
Meal delivery shouldn’t be a luxury
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CEO Niklas Östberg explains how Delivery Hero is doubling down on grocery delivery to unlock further growth.
Interview
Building the future: Focusing on digitalization and sustainability
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Lionel Souque, CEO of Rewe Group, explains how his company is building the future through digitalization, retail media, and sustainability....
Interview
Simplicity, efficiency, and sustainability in discount grocery
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Reitan Retail’s CEO talks about two milestone deals that show the distinctiveness of the company’s discounter model....
Interview
A growth journey toward green and local
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CEO Yves Claude shares insights into Auchan’s commitment to sustainability with local sourcing and long-term supplier relationships...
2023 Overview
Report
State of Grocery in Central Europe 2023: The battle for the new shopper
Central European retailers and manufacturers must reassess their offerings to effectively meet customer demands and shrinking budgets, focusing on perceived price attractiveness and store formats.
Report
State of grocery Europe 2023: Living with and responding to uncertainty
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2022 was overshadowed by inflation. As that shadow is lifting, European grocers are gearing up for future growth by investing in private labels, retail media, automation, and sustainability.
Interview
The power of price leadership
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CEO Luís Araújo explains how Biedronka, the largest retail chain in Poland, upholds price leadership despite cost pressure by focusing on efficiency, productivity gains, and volume growth.
Interview
Convenience will always matter
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Group CEO Nina Jönsson lays out the factors that drive the continued success of ICA, the leading Swedish grocery retail chain that originated as a sourcing alliance in the early 20th century.
Interview
Pathway to successful e-grocery
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Serial entrepreneur Tomáš Čupr takes us behind the scenes of Rohlik, a fast-growing online grocer founded in 2014 in the Czech Republic that caters to affluent urban shoppers.
State of Grocery Europe 2022
Article
State of Grocery Europe 2022: Navigating the market headwinds
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Retailers must be prepared to take bold actions and keep investing in key areas such as online, new profit pools, analytics, sustainability, and people.
Interview
Trends and tribulations: An interview with Matthias Wunderlin
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Migros Supermarkets’ chief commercial officer weighs in on the Grocery retail market and changing consumer preferences.
Article
The next S-curve of growth: Online grocery to 2030
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Traditional grocery retailers should now determine which value propositions to focus on, define a scalable operating model, and consider partnerships to complement their historic strengths.
Interview
Meeting rising online demand: An interview with Ocado’s Melanie Smith
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The CEO of Ocado Retail UK discusses the evolving competitive landscape and what’s ahead for online.
Article
Instant Grocery: Will it stay or will it go?
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Retailers must determine whether they want to capture market share in instant delivery and how to further differentiate their other e-commerce propositions.
Interview
I want it now: An interview with Gorillas CEO Kağan Sümer
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Instant delivery has already made its presence felt. One of the disrupters shares his aspiration and what it will take to get there.
Article
Grocers’ sustainability opportunity in transforming the food system
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This moment of truth requires leadership from CEOs and a transformational focus throughout organizations.
Interview
Meeting the moment: An interview with Marina Caprotti
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The executive chair of Esselunga Italy discusses the latest initiatives in her organization’s decades-long commitment to sustainability.
Article
Crisis or opportunity? How grocers can build stronger people models
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A focus on the employee experience, digitalization, and reskilling can make the grocery workforce an even more valuable source of competitive advantage—if retailers invest in getting it right.
Interview
Empowering your people: An interview with Cláudia Azevedo
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Sonae’s CEO discusses why upskilling, reskilling, and a sense of purpose are critical to a high-performing workforce.
Article
Pushing granular decisions through analytics
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Advanced analytics has the potential to transform grocery operations, but many retailers struggle to harness these capabilities to improve performance. Two emerging use cases could point the way.
Interview
Analytics-fueled growth: An interview with Adam Manikowski
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Zabka’s managing director discusses the role of analytics in expansion, operational efficiency, and speed.
Article
Growing beyond groceries: The ecosystem expansion
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Grocers are in a unique position to move beyond their core retail offerings. It can be challenging to build an ecosystem, but the rewards may be worth the effort.