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:

• REWE launches Drive & Go

• Rossmann launches on TikTok Shop in Germany

• Carrefour Belgium and Coca-Cola’s sustainability partnership

• Albert Heijn’s push for better health

• Normal enters Austria

• SPAR Norway’s new ultra-fast grocery service

REWE launches Drive & Go

With an initial 12-month pilot in three locations in Germany, shoppers can place online orders via the website or app and pick them up without even exiting their vehicle. A dedicated, covered bay is available for shoppers, and cashless payment can be made directly from the driver’s seat. Orders of €70 and above can be collected free of charge, with smaller baskets costing €2.

Senior Insight Analyst, Michela Pearson’s view: REWE has been steadily growing its capabilities in the online space over the last few years, offering click and collect and home delivery across most of the country, alongside its part-ownership of rapid delivery service Flink and partnership with Lieferando (Just Eat). Drive & Go is the next logical step to add even more speed and convenience to the experience, meeting growing shopper demand. Germany’s online space is evolving rapidly, with many retailers expanding their capabilities as pureplays Picnic and Knuspr (Rohlik) enjoy significant growth.

Rossmann Launches on TikTok Shop in Germany

Rossmann has launched its store on TikTok Shop in Germany, initially offering three skincare products from its own brand - Isana. This move comes one year after TikTok first introduced its integrated shopping feature in Germany, a move that gained significant traction as one in ten online shoppers had made purchases through the platform within six months (source: NIQ Digital Purchases via Handelsblatt). While competitors like dm have declined to join, prioritising its own app instead, other major German retailers including Edeka merchants, Kaufland, and Lidl have established a presence on TikTok Shop over the past year. 

Insight Analyst, Ziwei Huang’s view:  This development signals that social commerce is becoming a rapidly growing sales channel in the German market, moving beyond early adopters to include mainstream grocery and drugstore retailers. Rossmann's decision to launch with only three carefully selected products shows competitors how a deliberate, low-risk testing approach can work. Retailers can use TikTok's format to build brand equity for private labels and create viral moments around specific items without committing extensive inventory.

Carrefour Belgium and Coca-Cola sign partnership to reduce emissions

Carrefour Belgium and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners have signed a Sustainable Linked Business Plan committing both companies to cutting shared emissions and accelerating sustainable packaging by 2030. The agreement, part of Carrefour’s Act for Food programme, builds on its push for suppliers to align with 1.5 °C climate target and reduce indirect emissions by 29% by 2030. The partnership will prioritise lighter returnable glass bottles, increased reuse, new packaging formats and higher recycled content in cans and return bins. These initiatives support both companies’ existing sustainability strategy as well as Belgium’s local returnable-glass system.

Supply Chain Analyst, Soline Duriez’s view: Carrefour’s partnership with CCEP shows that sustainability is now a part of competitive strategy. By pushing suppliers towards lower carbon packaging and reuse, Carrefour strengthens its value proposition while reducing long-term risk exposure. Retailers that embed climate goals into commercial relationships will be better positioned as regulation and shopper expectations tighten.

New push from Albert Heijn to help shoppers eat better

Albert Heijn is expanding its commitment to healthier eating by integrating the Dutch Food Pyramid (Schijf van Vijf) more visibly in stores and online, alongside renewed ambitions for a healthier product mix by 2030 and 2040. The retailer is running extensive pilots, including highlighting healthy products, redesigning checkout zones, and enhancing app filters, while launching over 250 healthier product innovations and strengthening affordability through promotions. With a growing focus on young families, it is also investing in education, partnerships, and child‑focused initiatives to help make healthy choices easier across daily life.

Insight Partner, Dan Butler’s: Albert Heijn continues to be one of the leading retailers in Europe when it comes to supporting shoppers on their health journeys. Its new plans are impressive, helping to remove friction from healthy decision‑making and using behavioural nudges that can genuinely shift population diets for the better. Suppliers will need to be on the front foot, with pressures to reformulate and innovate within the Food Pyramid criteria, compete for healthier checkout and digital visibility, and potentially reprioritise affordability alongside nutritional quality.

Normal enters Austria

The Danish variety discount chain has opened two stores in Vienna, marking its 11^th market of operation. CEO Jakob Frølich Maarbjerg stated “Austria is a logical next step in our European expansion [...]. We see great potential in this market and are excited to introduce our concept to Austrian consumers.” Operating its usual labyrinth layout with over 5,500 SKUs across health and beauty, household cleaning, and snacking, the stores are located in Mariahilferstrasse, one of the city’s busiest shopping streets, and in a shopping centre just outside town.

Senior Insight Analyst, Michela Pearson’s view: Normal is seeing strong success across Europe, targeting high-footfall locations and tapping into trends and impulse purchases while providing shoppers with low prices and around 100 new products every week. Austria is a good choice for expansion, where fellow variety discounter Action is growing well ahead of the market, and the discount channel has solidified its position as second largest channel. With an established footprint in the Nordics and Western Europe, Eastern European markets will likely be next on the list for market entry.

Variety discount is poised to be the fastest-growing discount format to 2030, with CAGR of 6.3%. Find more insights in the highlights of the Global Discount Trends 2026 report.

New Ultra-fast grocery service debuts at SPAR Norway

In partnership with Foodora, SPAR has introduced SPAR QuickCommerce,  a rapid-delivery service that brings groceries to customers within 20-45 minutes, in Norway.  The platform integrates store systems with delivery networks via automated API, enabling store staff to prepare orders quickly and hand them off to riders without disrupting their current workflows. This service has expanded from 16 stores at its launch in September 2025 to over 60 locations by early 2026. Early results show that customers spend more per order than they do in store, and retailers can join the service without upfront financial investment, which has helped accelerated adoption. 

Insight Analyst, Ziwei Huang’s view:  This development offers traditional retailers a low-risk pathway into e-commerce in a market where online penetration is still small. It also drives incremental store sales without cannibalising the weekly shop, as ultra‑fast delivery mostly adds new impulse driven missions. In addition, it makes efficient use of existing store inventory and labour, turning stores into fulfilment hubs at lower cost than traditional online delivery models.  

What to read next: National leaders outpace home markets in Europe: 2025 results

 

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