Global round-up: tech development, expansion and latest results

The retail round-up follows trends globally across the industry and brings you highlights for the week commencing 10 November. Here's what you need to know about developments from Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America.

Europe: efficiency and network investment and health-focused private label

Leclerc expands into convenience. French retail giant Leclerc is set to accelerate its expansion into the convenience store sector, signifying a major departure from its traditional hypermarket model. Historically known for vast suburban outlets, the cooperative retailer is now positioning itself to challenge rivals like Carrefour and Casino within France's urban centres. This shift reflects changing consumer habits, with shoppers increasingly preferring local, quick-trip formats over large weekly shops. E.Leclerc reportedly plans to open approximately 50 new convenience outlets by 2026, adding to its existing network of around 100 stores, with 15 E.Leclerc Express sites over 700 sq m and 23 smaller sites already underway.

Sneha Haria, Insight Manager’s view: E.Leclerc's move to focus on urban centres is a smart way to adapt to the decline of hypermarkets and the rise of proximity shopping. By expanding in cities, E.Leclerc aims to open new sales channels and protect its market share from established rivals. The main challenge will be maintaining its value and competitive prices in smaller, costlier formats while keeping logistics and product range flexible for urban shoppers.

Lidl opens net-zero store in Ireland. The discounter has opened the country’s first net-zero supermarket in Maynooth. The store has been designed in collaboration with Irish Green Building Council with renewable features and the use of sustainable materials. This includes concrete made from 50% recycled materials, sustainable glulam timber roof beams and lower embodied carbon roof and wall panels. All operational energy is generated from on-site renewable sources including a solar panel system equivalent to the size of 13 tennis courts. It is expected the store will save the equivalent energy used by more than 40 Irish households every year.

Rachel Sibson, Senior Insight Analyst’s view: retailers are continuing to focus on store-based energy efficiency solutions and ensuring new stores are designed and constructed with sustainability in mind. This initiative forms part of Lidl’s plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 across the entire supply chain. It has committed to reduce carbon emissions by 46% on operational emissions by 2030.

Unilever launches new automated logistics hub in France. Unilever France has partnered with GXO Logistics to open a 60,000 sq m facility in the Loire region in June 2027. Throughout this 10-year agreement, GXO will oversee logistics and repackaging for 50m parcels each year, consolidating Unilever’s product lines into one automated hub. Once operational, the site will employ 200 people and feature up to eight automation technologies, including robotic picking and multi-depth storage. GXO also seeks to achieve BREEAM ‘Excellent’ certification by focusing on resource efficiency and sustainable building practices.

Soline Duriez, Supply Chain Analyst’s view: this strategic partnership signals a bold shift toward smarter, greener logistics. By consolidating operations and investing in automation, Unilever and GXO are strengthening the foundation for resilient and efficient supply chains.

Kesko announces Helsinki expansion. The retailer is investing €200-250m annually in developing its store network. It plans to strengthen its network of hypermarkets in the Greater Helsinki area in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa, responding to the urbanisation trend in Finland. The plan is to develop four new K-Citymarket hypermarket stores, as well as renovating three existing stores.

Rachel Sibson, Senior Insight Analyst’s view: Kesko’s large store formats continue to gain traction. Large store formats (hypers and supers) remain key in Finland, accounting for around 60% of the grocery market, and will gain share to 2030. This channel allows the two leading retailers, S Group and Kesko, to showcase their breadth of range, counters, look and feel and unique product innovation. For Kesko a key strength is the strategic emphasis on ‘store-specific business ideas’. Kesko retailers we’ve met are incredibly passionate and entrepreneurial, inspired and motivated to deliver truly stand-out innovation. The retailer’s stores continue to push the boundaries in enhancing the customer experience.

SPAR Austria rolls out health-focused labelling on private label products. SPAR is adding its ‘einfach OHNE’ (simply without) logo to more of its range. The logo is approved by the LVA (Food Testing Institute) and is already featured on over 830 SPAR branded products, with the number growing weekly. The logo identifies products that are free of preservatives, flavour enhancers, and artificial flavours and colours. SPAR also commits to reducing the need for additives in products. It uses newer, technological manufacturing processes, such as hot filling, high-pressure pasteurisation, and fermentation, which can eliminate the need for additives while still guaranteeing maximum product safety.

Rachel Sibson, Senior Insight Analyst’s view: retailers are seeking to serve more of their customers’ health needs by supporting and making it more convenient for shoppers to make healthier choices. With this initiative, SPAR aims to make it easy for shoppers to identify healthier alternatives at the shelf-edge, supporting and nudging them into different behaviours that are better for their health.

Source: SPAR Austria

Asia-Pacific: AI transformation, new market expansion and a tough trading environment in South Korea

Coles partners with OpenAI to drive AI transformation. Coles is the first Australian retailer to deploy ChatGPT Enterprise across its operations. The partnership aims to enhance efficiency, creativity, and customer experience through responsible use of AI tools. The company plans a full deployment by February 2026, supported by tailored training programs designed to build AI capabilities and integrate the tool into daily work processes. It will also assist in streamlining research, automating administrative tasks, extracting insights from data, supporting compliance, and fuelling idea generation. Coles has used AI for more than a decade to optimise scheduling, inventory, and product selection, and it now operates automated distribution and fulfilment centres powered by AI.

Tan Soo Eng, Senior Insight Analyst’s view: Coles’ OpenAI partnership is another step toward embedding generative AI in retail operations. It strengthens Coles’ data and decision advantage, but will test its ability to balance automation with human insight. Suppliers should be prepared for faster decisions on product ranging, promotions and store-specific assortments and move with agility.

Malaysia’s 99 Speedmart expands into China. Malaysia’s largest retailer, convenience minimart retailer 99 Speedmart, has entered the Chinese market. It opened its first store in Fuzhou, China in August 2025 and is planning to open more.

Jarred Neubronner, Senior Insight Analyst’s view: China has much growth potential in the convenience minimart format, with retailers like Meiyijia expanding rapidly to tap into the growing demand for top-up grocery shopping. This likely led to 99 Speedmart wanting to enter the market to capture a share of the growing pie. However, it is often challenging for foreign companies entering the Chinese market, and they will need to have strong local knowledge, supply chain networks and local connections to succeed.

Lotte Shopping posts disappointing Q3 figures. 2025’s penultimate quarter sees Lotte Shopping post an operating profit of ₩130.5 bn (US$89 m), a 15.8% year-on-year decline. Consolidated revenue fell 4.4% to ₩3.41 tr (US$2.3 bn). Lotte’s grocery division – Lotte Mart and Lotte Super - was the driver behind a financially underwhelming year for the South Korean retail giant – with Q3 revenue falling 8.8% to ₩1.3 tr (US$887m), and operating profit decreasing 85.1% to ₩7.1 bn (US$4.8m).

Bently Briggs, Insight Analyst’s view: Lotte has had lots of positives from the first three quarters of the year, with overseas operations and department stores seeing some growth. This is of course offset by the disappointing performance of their grocery channels with the company citing weaker Chuseok holiday timing as a major factor. Lotte Shopping will be hoping for a strong end to the year emphasising the importance of the festive season as they look forward to a stronger 2026.

North America: results, technology pilots, and new appointments

Ahold Delhaize makes market share gains in the US. For Q3, the retailer reported comp sales growth of 3%, with net sales up 2% and ecommerce up 15.4%. This is a big improvement on last year’s sales decline, and the retailer is now outperforming its competitors. The success is attributed to sales uplifts from remodelled stores, positive responses to its price focus and the acceleration in ecommerce sales. It has successfully turned around the performance of its Stop & Shop banner, having closed 32 underperforming stores last year, and making price investments in 70% of stores so far, with a further 88 stores in the pipeline. It has also remodelled over 320 Food Lion stores over the last two years, as part of a $484m project which forms part of a multiyear modernisation effort.

Oliver Butterworth, Senior Insight Analyst’s view: Ahold Delhaize is doing an impressive job of rebounding from disappointing results last year. Store remodels are having the desired impact, with average weekly sales at remodelled locations outpacing unrenovated stores. It aims to grow private label penetration, with plans to review 90% of its private label categories in the coming year. This will help bolster its wider investments in pricing. The retailer has made solid progress in boosting its digital sales, with online penetration now in the double digits. The next phase of its digital transformation will centre on improving profitability and better optimising the customer experience.

Loblaw has launched a pilot of scan-as-you-go at three discount stores in downtown Toronto. The ‘pcogo’ branded service at No Frills allows PC Optimum members to scan items as they shop using their mobile device, then pay at a self-checkout in seconds. The technology provides an instant, running estimated total of their bill and automatically tracks PC Optimum points earned in real-time, empowering customers with greater visibility and control over their budget and loyalty rewards throughout their shopping trip.

Stewart Samuel, Director of Retail Futures’ view: this pilot reflects Loblaw’s push to simplify the store experience while deepening engagement with its loyalty ecosystem. Loblaw is aligning with shoppers’ growing demand for speed and convenience, particularly in urban locations where the retailer has been targeting the growth of No Frills. These stores often serve quick-trip

missions, making ‘pcogo’ a natural fit. Although Walmart has tested scan-as-you go previously, only 7-Eleven offers a similar service in the Canadian market currently.

Sobeys’ parent company, Empire Company Limited has appointed Pierre St-Laurent as its new president and CEO. He succeeds Michael Medline, who announced his retirement earlier this year. St-Laurent will also serve as CEO of Sobeys Inc. and join Empire’s Board of Directors. A 34-year veteran of the company, he has held senior roles across merchandising, operations, and supply chain, most recently serving as EVP and COO.

Stewart Samuel, Director of Retail Futures’ view: Pierre St-Laurent’s appointment signals continuity and confidence in the retailer’s strategic direction. He has been with the company throughout the recent turnaround and growth plans, Sunset and Horizon, which were initiated by Medline when he joined the company in 2017. Among his immediate priorities will be to clarify the future of ecommerce for the business, including the partnership with Ocado, reassess the scale of the discount portfolio and accelerate progress on digital loyalty and data monetisation.