Retail trade in Europe - Statistics and Facts

Leading players of European retail

Some of the most valuable brands in Europe in 2022 included many household names, from Mercedes-Benz to EY. When it came to retail specifically, Louis Vuitton, Nestlé, and Aldi were among the continent’s largest in terms of brand value. Nestlé and LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE) also topped the list of the leading consumer goods companies in Europe, with a market capitalization of more than 300 billion euros each in 2021. Based on sheer turnover, however, the German company Schwarz Gruppe, which owns major franchises such as Lidl and Kaufland, was Europe’s leading retailer. At more than 100 billion euros’ worth of turnover in 2020, the retail company had a big lead over competitors, such as Aldi, Carrefour, or even Tesco.

Online retail

Although the majority of retail transactions still take place offline, online retail gained more and more prominence over the last few years. One factor that accelerated the transition to online retail was the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Surveys showed that in several European countries, in both 2020 and 2021, more consumers shopped online as a result of the impact of the pandemic on their shopping habits. In 2021, overall e-commerce revenue in Europe was valued at approximately 465 million U.S. dollars, and according to recent Statista forecasts this is expected to keep growing in the coming years, to approximately 570 million U.S. dollars by 2025. While in 2021 there were roughly 500 million consumers who purchased goods online, by 2023, this figure was already projected to reach over 540 million.

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