Europe roundup: E-commerce, green transit, and local ranges

In this instalment, our analysts for Europe offer their take on some of the region’s latest developments and initiatives. Here’s what you need to know about:

• S Group’s new robotic fulfilment centre

• Uber is expanding q-commerce to new markets

• Axfood’s fossil-free transport fleet

• Lidl’s specifically Sicilian range

S Group accelerates ecommerce automation

Finland’s leading retailer, S Group is opening a robotic fulfilment centre in Oulu’s Limingantulli district, beside a Prisma hypermarket store. The €10m investment will significantly expand capacity as ecommerce demand continues to rise across Northern Finland. Robotics will handle the majority of ambient picking, enabling faster processing and more delivery slots. Store teams will continue to pick fresh and specialist items to maintain quality. The site will also centralise home‑delivery operations while maintaining existing click‑and‑collect services.

Senior Insight Analyst, Rachel Sibson’s view:

This new centre forms part of S Group’s wider rollout of automated fulfilment sites across Finland, including recent openings in Pirkanmaa and Vantaa and an upcoming site in Turku. It reinforces how robotics is becoming central to online strategies, particularly in regions where long distances and rising demand put pressure on fulfilment capacity. Automating high‑volume picking allows the retailer to scale efficiently while freeing store teams to focus on fresh quality and customer‑critical tasks.

Uber announces plans to expand quick commerce to seven new markets

The global leader in food delivery, Uber aims to generate a revenue increase of $1 bn over the next three years with the move, which will introduce their UberEats delivery platform to Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Norway, and Romania. Uber state that the plan, announced on 15 February, comes in response to strong demand from both consumers and merchant partners.

Analyst, Theo O’Flynn‘s view:

This move comes at a time where quick commerce is growing rapidly, with consumers increasingly valuing convenience and using mobile apps to shop. For retailers in the targeted markets, particularly those aiming to build relevance in the online space, partnerships with quick commerce platforms like Uber will be key to their success.

For more insights on quick commerce: Read our global online trends report

Axfood hits fossil-free transport target 4 years early   

Swedish retailer Axfood has reached its goal of achieving fossil fuel‑free transport between warehouses and stores ahead of its 2030 deadline. The retailer now operates more than 400 own and contracted vehicles on renewable fuels or electricity, following a rapid shift to biogas, hydrotreated vegetable oil, and electric trucks over the past two years. The transition relied on close collaboration with logistics partners and long-term policy measures helping make low-emission transport more competitive. Axfood has now set a new target to increase the share of electric vehicles in its fleet from 15% today to at least 50% by 2030 as it aims to further reduce its transport emissions.

Supply Chain Analyst, Soline Duriez’s view:

Axfood’s shift to low-carbon transport shows how quickly logistics emissions can fall with effective collaboration. The challenge ahead will be ensuring the cost of cleaner fuels doesn’t slow the wider transition.

Learn more about the transition to electric freight.

Lidl launches range of dedicated products in Sicily

The discounter Lidl, has just launched 110 regionally specific SKUs across fresh, meat, fish and poultry, ambient and wine. The announcement was paired with a dedicated leaflet for the circa 70 stores on the island.

Senior Insight Analyst, Michela Pearson’s view:

While a more locally specific range is not unusual, it is rare for a discounter to go quite as granular as Lidl has in Italy. With existing regional ranges in regions such as Apulia and Sardinia, the move resonates with Italian shoppers’ demand for hyper local products aligned with tradition and strengthens the relationship with local suppliers.

Read our latest report: Winning with local: strategies to spotlight local products in‑store

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