CEE roundup: Lidl trials, Action expansions and market shake-ups

Lidl Poland trials 24/6 opening hours

To improve accessibility and convenience, Lidl Poland is piloting significantly extended trading hours at three stores . From 2 March, locations in Poznań, Bielany Wrocławskie and Warsaw will open from 1:00 a.m. Monday to 11:00 p.m. Saturday. The move responds directly to customer feedback, with the pilot helping Lidl assess demand before considering wider rollout.

Insight Analyst, Bently Briggs’s view: Despite being Poland’s second‑largest grocery retailer, Lidl continues to refine its model rather than rely on scale alone. The decision to pilot ultra‑extended opening hours shows a clear commitment to listening to shoppers and reinforcing Lidl’s position as a discounter committed to convenient shopping.

Action continues to expand across the region

The Dutch variety discounter, now Europe’s fastest-growing non-food discounter, has opened its first store in Croatia. This follows its entry into Romania in September 2025,where it has already expanded its presence to nine stores. It also opened its 100^th store in Czechia in December, whilst operating around 45 stores in Slovakia and aims to launch in Slovenia in 2026.

Analyst, Theo O’Flynn‘s view: The growing dominance of discounters is a key trend across the region: these retailers must now move quickly to secure access to competitive markets. Action has shown an impressive swiftness in expanding into areas where shoppers will greatly appreciate its strong value proposition.

Romania: exits and acquisitions

Romania has seen significant market changes in Q1 2026. Carrefour, the market’s fourth-largest player, has confirmed the sale of its operations to Pavăl Holdings, the Romanian investment group behind Dedeman, the country’s leading DIY retailer and one of its most successful home‑grown businesses.

Meanwhile, the Schwarz Group has expanded its presence with the acquisition of La Cocos, following approval from the national competition authority, the Consiliul Concurenței (Competition Council).

Insight Analyst, Bently Briggs’s view: This shake-up among Romania’s major retail players marks the start of an interesting year for Europe’s second fastest growing market. It will be particularly interesting to watch how Pavăl Holdings adapts Carrefour’s network of 478 stores to a currently discount-dominated market .

Lidl debuts in-app scan-to-pay in Latvia

The discounter is adding its ‘Lidl Pay’ feature to the ‘Lidl Plus’ app, allowing users to complete payment with one scan of a QR code directly from their device. With this, Lidl joins Zabka and Ahold Delhaize’s Albert banner, in Poland and Czechia respectively, as regional leaders of pay-in-app services.

Analyst, Theo O’Flynn‘s view: Digitisation and app integration are becoming increasingly important in Central and Eastern European markets. Loyalty schemes and mobile scanning are already embedded, whilst scan-to-pay is expanding. Retailers aiming to be technology leaders must continue to innovate to create points of difference.

Studenac partners with Instaleap to scale quick‑ commerce operations

Croatia’s largest retail network, Studenac, has partnered with Instaleap to enhance its e commerce fulfilment and delivery capabilities. Instaleap will orchestrate Studenac’s Glovo order‑picking processes, aiming to boost speed, accuracy and operational efficiency across the retailer’s more than 1,300‑store network. Instaleap describes this as a strategic step to power Studenac’s quick commerce activity, strengthening its role in rapid delivery channels.

Insight Analyst, Bently Briggs’s view: Retailers in Central and Eastern Europe continue to invest heavily in last‑mile innovation. Studenac’s partnership highlights how even traditionally store‑led operators are scaling digital fulfilment to stay competitive in the fast‑moving quick‑ commerce landscape.