Europe roundup: Rural retail & robot roll-outs

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:

• Casino expands mobile grocery stores

• Lidl continued French expansion

• SPAR’s robot roll-out

• Newpharma launch digital consultations

Groupe Casino expands mobile grocery pilot to rural France

Groupe Casino is scaling its mobile grocery initiative, rolling out a travelling store concept in central France to serve rural communities with limited retail access. The van covers a 350km route across 59 locations, offering around 350 essential products including fresh food and household goods, alongside optional home delivery for more remote residents. Operated by local franchisees, the initiative forms part of Casino’s wider strategy to improve access to everyday goods while strengthening community connections.

Insight Analyst, Bently Briggs’ view:

This doubling down from Casino is a strong example of how retailers can tackle the very real issue of food deserts, which remains under-addressed across many markets. Mobile formats offer a practical and scalable way to maintain access to essential goods where store economics no longer stack up. It also underlines an opportunity for other retailers to do more here, particularly as accessibility becomes a more prominent social and political issue.

Read our analysis on how European retailers are responding to rural challenges.

Lidl reveals store target for France

Lidl plans to accelerate its expansion in France by adding around 400 stores by 2035 to reach 2,000 sites, which will see around 40 net openings per year while also renovating around 500 existing stores over the period. To overcome planning constraints, the retailer is shifting from its traditional out-of-town box format to more flexible urban models, including smaller footprints and prominent city-centre locations such as planned flagship openings in Paris. Growth will be supported by acquisitions and by targeting medium-sized cities.

Insight Partner, Dan Butler’s view:

Lidl’s expansion will intensify competition in a market already undergoing structural change, accelerating price pressure and format innovation across both hypermarkets and proximity retail. Moving into city centres and adapting store formats marks a strategic evolution beyond Lidl’s traditional discount model, helping it capture higher-frequency urban shoppers.

SPAR expands trial of in-store inventory robot ‘Tally’

SPAR Austria is extending its use of the autonomous ‘Tally’ inventory robot following a successful pilot, rolling it out to additional stores. The robot scans shelves multiple times a day, identifying stock gaps and sending real-time inventory reports to staff, enabling quicker replenishment and improved on-shelf availability. The technology operates independently in-store without disrupting customers and aims to reduce manual workload while improving operational accuracy.

Insight Analyst, Bently Briggs’ view:

This highlights how retailers are using automation to unlock efficiencies in-store, but the real opportunity lies in how that freed-up labour is redeployed. I would like to see SPAR fully capitalise on this by reinvesting time into customer experience and service, which remain key differentiators in physical retail. Technology like this should not just improve operations, but elevate the overall shopping journey.

Newpharma launches rapid digital pharmacist consultations

Colruyt Group’s online pharmacy Newpharma has introduced ‘Pharma Consult’, a digital service enabling customers to access professional pharmacist advice within the hour for non-urgent health queries. Available across Belgium, the Netherlands and France following a successful pilot, the service allows users to book online consultations covering topics such as sleep, nutrition, and medication use, without needing to visit a physical pharmacy.

Senior Insight Analyst, Rachel Sibson’s view:

This reflects an ongoing shift towards more service-led retail, particularly in health and wellness, where trust and expertise play a crucial role. Consumers increasingly expect fast, convenient access to professional advice, and digital channels are making this more scalable. The opportunity now is to build on this by further integrating services and strengthening customer relationships beyond the initial consultation.

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