“The consolidation of retail businesses last year will continue in 2016.EU countries will see an increase of nearly 1%. There will be positive evolutions, mainly in Romania, with a growth of 7%, and in Baltic countries, with an increase of approximately 5%, which, will gradually start to catch up with more mature markets. It is also expected a robust dynamic in retail for Sweden where it is envisaged a 5% growth and for Spain which is expected to see a 4% increase,” according to the GfK study.
Furthermore, in 2015, the profitability of retail spaces rose in the EU by nearly 3%, which is a good sign for the retail area which saw increases two consecutive years, after a long period of decline.
The highest profitability rates were registered in Northern Europe, Switzerland and Luxembourg and the lowest were recorded in eastern and southern Europe.
GfK conducted an analysis of the European retail sector, which comprises the latest evolutions and forecasts for 2016. The market indicators assessed by GfK for a total 33 European countries under survey were as follows: purchasing power, the share held by household retail spending in overall expenditures, inflation and the profitability of retail spaces.