Retail and e-commerce – May 2025
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s e-commerce sector gains ground
Ecommerce Europe has published an article on an annual survey by the eCommerce Association in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the state of online shopping in the country. With data collected from both consumers and domestic web shops, the study offers insights into evolving user behaviour, platform preferences, payment trends, and operational challenges in this emerging Southeast European market. The findings were officially presented at a public event in Sarajevo attended by e-commerce professionals, institutional representatives, and academia.
The State of Grocery Retail Europe 2025
In “The State of Grocery Retail Europe 2025” McKinsey shares the latest business data in the field. Despite cost pressure and low volume growth, there are pockets of opportunity in European grocery—from private label differentiation to personalisation of the shopping experience. In the report McKinsey also analyses nine trends.
Supermarkets into stormy weather in NL
Over the past twenty years, the supermarket landscape in the Netherlands has changed significantly. In order to survive in the future, supermarkets must continue to adapt. A Rabobank study (in Dutch) outlines the circumstances and identifies challenges and solutions.
Maintaining market share and margins is challenging for supermarkets in the NL. Rabobank predicts further pressure on margins and returns for the average supermarket towards 2040. What does this mean for the business strategy of supermarkets? In a recent opinion article (in Dutch), sector manager Martijn Rol explores the strategic options that supermarket operators can pursue to strengthen their businesses in the longer term.
9.0% growth in global e-commerce packaging market
The global market for e-commerce packaging was worth $75.3 billion in 2024, according to Smithers. The market has increased by an annual average of 16.8% since 2019. The new market report “The Future of E-commerce Packaging to 2029” forecasts that demand will increase at a 9.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to reach $116.1 billion in 2029. You can purchase the report.
Reuse systems in the UK
City to Sea worked with market research team Obsurvant in April 2025 to carry out a survey amongst adult respondents in the UK on attitudes and behaviours towards reuse. The results show that the UK public is ready and is taking action to reduce single-use plastic—but faces systemic barriers around availability, affordability, and awareness. You can download the survey after filling in your details.
Eunomia also partnered with City to Sea to create a position paper that offers an overview of global policy lessons for reuse systems, laying out recommendations to achieve the necessary scale of finance, innovation, and collaboration for a successful reuse transition in the UK. They also explore lessons learned from case studies, including a reusable system in Germany, and the influence of reuse policy drivers in France. You can download the position paper after registering.
NVC members receive this information with all the relevant links in the monthly NVC Members-only Update. If you have any questions, please contact us: info@nvc.nl, +31-(0)182-512411