Family mealtimes are losing significance for Generation Alpha (born 2010–2025). According to a recent study by Cologne-based research institute Innersense, food for this age group is less about shared rituals and more about self-expression, experimentation, and self-optimisation.

Children increasingly eat alone or with friends, often preferring snacks or home-baked treats to traditional meals. While parents still provide guidance and healthy options, they aim to minimise conflict and grant independence, frequently relying on influencers, brands, and digital tools as modern parenting aids.

In its latest report IGD asserts private label has evolved beyond just offering shoppers value. Ranges are now key, strategic levers enabling retailers to drive innovation, enable collaborations, and deliver sustainable solutions to help them stand out.

Highlights:

• Globally, private label accounts for 45.7% of total grocery volume and is growing twice as fast as brands (1.4% vs 0.7%).
• Europe will lead the way for private label globally in 2025, followed by North America,
• which will be the fastest growing region.
• In some European markets, private label value share has dropped year-on-year as brands fight back with promotions.
• Sub-brands continue to emerge, echoing last year’s momentum, as health and sustainability trends shape innovation.
• Private label continues to lead by swiftly adapting to trends. Collaboration helps to deliver distinctive, consumer-driven product innovations quickly.

The share of private consumption allocated to retail – rather than savings, services, or leisure – continues to decline across the European Union. In 2024, this trend persisted for the third consecutive year, with EU citizens spending just 32.6 percent of their disposable income in retail. Croatia recorded the highest share, with nearly every second euro spent in retail. These insights come from a study by NIQ Geomarketing, offering a comprehensive overview of retail trends across Europe.

Although purchasing power and retail turnover are rising in Europe, the proportion of consumer spending directed toward retail has been steadily declining for the past three years. In 2024, retail accounted for just 32.6 percent of total private consumption, underscoring this ongoing trend. However, regional differences remain significant. Consumers in Eastern European countries, in particular, allocate a considerably larger share of their purchasing power to retail.

According to new research from IGD, the discount grocery retail channel is expected to expand by €191.6 billion globally between 2024 and 2029, making it the fastest-growing format in physical grocery retail.

Europe continues to be the core market for discounters, with all of the top 14 countries by market share located in the region. By 2029, discount retailers are projected to account for more than 23% of total grocery sales across Europe.

Central and Eastern Europe, along with Portugal, are identified as key growth markets, supported by high levels of discount penetration and strong forecasted sales growth through 2029.

Globally, the discount segment is gaining momentum, with new entrants, geographic expansion by established discounters, and increased strategic focus by retailers on their discount formats.

While private labels were once viewed mainly through the lens of availability, consumer perceptions are shifting toward value, quality, and community support, finds a new report from NIQ: “Finding Harmony on the Shelf: 2025 Global Outlook on Private Label and Branded Products.

The report says “the brands that succeed will be those that recognise the strengths each brings to consumers – whether it’s value and local relevance or quality and prestige – and embrace opportunities for growth together.” Consumer perception of private label products is completing a dramatic turnaround. As retailers invested in quality and improvements, private label sales reached new heights.  

Success for one kind of label doesn’t have to come at the expense of others. Every player can win a little and grow categories if the reins of control shift in favour of collaboration. The report reveals what is driving brand shifts and how harmony among private and name brands can expand sales.

A study by the consulting firm Simon-Kucher reveals that 80% of customers in Germany already use retailer apps, with this figure reaching as high as 96% in the drugstore sector. The survey, which involved 1,000 consumers, explored how app usage influences shopping behaviour.

The primary motivation for using these apps is saving money. Over three-quarters of respondents (83.2%) said the apps make them more aware of discounts, while 73.1% reported that they are able to make cheaper purchases through the apps. About half of the participants indicated that they shop more frequently and in greater quantities using retailer apps. Additionally, most respondents noted that the apps improved the efficiency of their shopping experience and overall satisfaction.

Mintel has published its global food and drink trends report for 2025. The researchers explored what it is that influences consumer behaviours and attitudes toward food and drink. The experts predict that four topics will prevail for consumers:

Fundamentally nutritious. The emergence of weight-loss medications like Ozempic will redefine consumer perceptions of ‘food as medicine’ from added functional ingredients to meeting daily essential nutrient needs.

Rule rebellion. Embrace consumers as ‘perfectly imperfect’ beings who are hungry for brands that help them ‘break the rules’ in food and drink.

According to a study by NIQ, consumers in Germany spend less of their income on food, health and care than in any other EU country. Despite the increase in prices, the share of these expenditures in private consumption last year was 13.4 percent, lower than in all other 26 countries.

Consumers have recently been paying more attention to prices and taking advantage of offers more often. According to NIQ, Germany recorded the strongest increase in promotion purchases in Western Europe, with an increase of 14 percent.

The share of retail in private consumption fell again in the EU in 2023. According to market researchers, this is due to a normalization of consumer behavior. During the Corona pandemic, consumers spent their money mainly in retail because cultural activities, events and travel were often not possible.

A survey among 36,000 participants in 10 European countries reveals that half of the households own at least one pet. The average age of pet owners is 46 years.

Cats are the favorite animals in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Belgium. Special mention goes to France, which is the European country with the most domestic cats among pet owners (71%). Dogs are more popular in Poland, Hungary and Denmark.

A joint study by Oliver Wyman and EuroCommerce, which examines the carbon footprint of the European retail and wholesale value chains, revealed that 98% of the European retail and wholesale sector’s carbon emissions are derived from Scope 3 emissions. Only 2% make up the sector’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions as a result of direct operations or energy consumed. In contrast, Scope 3 emissions are indirect and result from activities by producers and manufacturers along value chains, as well as the energy consumed after the purchase of a product.

While some retailers and wholesalers have made significant progress tracking and reducing emissions – especially Scopes 1 and 2 – the findings highlight the need for the sector to step up the efforts at the company, sector and value chain level to achieve net zero. It demonstrates the critical need to align further on a European and industry- wide methodology to quantify Scope 3 emissions and to identify where they can be reduced.