Europe Council

Since 1989—the year the Berlin Wall fell and shortly before the revitalization of the European single market—the Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council Europe has tracked the development of what is arguably the most sophisticated grocery market in the world. With members from the largest Western European grocery retailing groups and executives from smaller family-owned businesses and the former Soviet bloc, the Europe Council publishes research on a variety of food industry trends, including customer management, marketing, logistics and strategy.

Current members of the Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council Europe:

Juan Manuel Morales, IFA Group
François-Melchior de Polignac, Carrefour Belgium
Edgar Sesemann, RIMI
Marcus Spurrell, Delhaize Group
Ed van de Weerd, Jumbo Supermarkets

Small is the New Big: Understanding and Leveraging

Small self-service stores are growing in Europe. Between 2011 and 2017, 100,000 new small self-service stores opened in the 44 countries of Europe. The growth of small self-service stores is partly a response to five...

Success Begins with Consumer Insights

As the food retail industry rapidly evolves, retailers must have a good understanding of shoppers’ needs, motivators, behaviors and choices – in short, success begins with consumer insights. This new report provides insights into the...

Shaping the Future of Online Grocery

Online grocery has been slow to take off in most of Europe. Even in the two most advanced markets—the United Kingdom and France—online grocery shopping accounts for only about four to five percent of sales...

Fifty Ways to Grow in European Retail: New

In today’s market, European retailers and manufacturers are often pitted in a fierce battle for share of declining disposable income. They face major disruptions, including new shopper values, changing habits and technologies. In short, developing...

Exploring the Third Dimension: Relevant and Timely Information to

An effective shopper information strategy addresses the main information needs of the majority of shoppers as simply as possible while also promoting engagement, informing choice and serving additional information needs based on specific circumstances. This...

The Inflection Point: Critical Pathways in Food Retailing

We marvel at the rise and spectacular successes of Tesco, Mercadona or Lidl. At the same time, we wonder why North American retail giant Winn-Dixie was forced to declare bankruptcy, while its principal competitor Publix...

Responding to Discount: A New Business Model for

This report by the Europe Council and McKinsey & Company summarizes the results of an extensive study on the growth of European discount grocery retailers and the implications of this growth for non-discount supermarkets and...

A Leadership People Strategy for Food Retailers

In 2003, European food retailers experienced significant challenges in attracting talent. Despite being one of the largest private sector employers in Europe, the food retailing industry was not viewed as an employer of choice. It...