Market Outlook 24 minutes PremiumEurope’s Legacy Retailers Squeezed by Muted Consumer Demand and Structural Shifts: Sector Overview — European Retail Coresight Research April 17, 2019 Executive SummaryEach of our Sector Overview reports provides an essential briefing on a sector or market. This report covers European retailing, with a focus on the UK, Germany and France. Structural trends challenging middleground legacy retailers include an ongoing attrition of market share to online and discount channels. In April, UK department-store chain Debenhams entered administration, handing control to its lenders; UK rivals House of Fraser and Marks & Spencer (M&S) are closing stores. In Germany and France, consumer spending on apparel has been weak, and even higher-growth retailers have seen challenges. Primark pointed to a “difficult Germany market” in January 2019. ASOS noted a “challenging performance” in Germany and France in April. However, Zalando reported growth of over 20% in the Germany region for the final quarter of 2018. At the time of writing, we are even less clear on the outcome of the Brexit process than we were when we published our previous Sector Overview on European retail in January. The lack of clarity over the UK’s exit from the EU is impacting UK consumer spending only moderately, according to various sources, including the Office for National Statistics (ONS). But the uncertainty has prompted retailers to invest in contingency plans and stockpiling in case of a no-deal Brexit. German consumers have been retrenching discretionary spending in the face of macro uncertainties such as Brexit. However, inflation has eased and unemployment has fallen to ultralow levels in Germany. Already a subscriber? Log in You are currently viewing a preview of this report. Please select an access option to view the full report. Hide Options - Show Options + Get unlimited access to all our research with one of our subscription plans. View Subscription Plans or Contact us to purchase this report. Contact us ✕ This document was generated for Other research you may be interested in: Shifting Shopper Behavior Amid Pessimism: China Consumer Survey InsightsData Dive: What US, European and Australian Retailers Are Saying on CapexUS Apparel and Beauty Spending Tracker, April 2023: Clothing, Footwear and Beauty Spending Growth Eases FurtherThree Data Points We’re Watching This Week