RETAIL : The Return of Smaller Store Formats.

8 hours ago

4 min read

Stores Are Becoming More Compact

For a long time, the large-format store seemed to be the benchmark: large sales areas, a very broad product range, numerous departments and significant storage capacity.

But retail is evolving. In both food and non-food retail, retailers are now developing more compact, more urban formats that are closer to consumers.

The aim is not simply to reduce the size of the store, but to rethink the shopping experience around a new customer journey: faster, more convenient and more modern.

Closer to the Consumer

Ikea

has been developing urban and XS formats for several years. In London, its Hammersmith store is around a quarter of the size of a traditional IKEA store.

Carrefour

has been expanding its convenience formats for several years: Carrefour City, Express, Contact and Proxi. These stores range from 70 to 1,200 m². In 2025, Carrefour opened a further 456 convenience stores in France and 108 in Spain. The group also launched The Box in Brussels at the end of 2025, presented as its smallest store format in Europe.

Leroy Merlin

is also developing urban formats. In Barcelona, Spain, its Urban store is located right in the city centre across several floors, while the retailer also offers “Compact” formats.

The conclusion is quite clear: the store of tomorrow will not necessarily be bigger. Above all, it will be better adapted to its environment and to the customer's shopping mission.

Different Equipment for Different Formats

When floor space decreases, every square metre counts, making the choice of equipment particularly important.

The Large Shopping Trolley Is Not Always the Best Solution

For a large shopping trip, the traditional shopping trolley is obviously still essential. But for a quick purchase of just a few items, a more compact solution can be much more relevant:

✓ Compact shopping trolley – To carry more than a basket while taking up less space.

✓ Wheeled basket – For medium-sized shopping trips, offering more capacity than a hand basket.

✓ Hand basket – For quick purchases and shorter shopping trips.

The goal is therefore not to choose one single piece of equipment, but to offer the right solution for each type of shopping mission.

A Few Figures

The Average Shopping Basket Is Becoming More Fragmented

In France, the number of checkout visits increased by 5% for grocery spending, while the average basket stood at around €36, down compared with previous years.

This illustrates an interesting shift: consumers may be making more shopping trips, but with more targeted purchases.

For convenience stores, this further highlights the value of equipment designed for smaller shopping trips.

Every Metre Counts

There is no single aisle width that applies to every store: it depends in particular on the concept, accessibility, fixtures and customer traffic.

In a store, aisle width is not simply a matter of comfort: it is also subject to regulations. Article M 10 of the French safety regulations states in particular that customer shopping trolleys must not exceed 60 cm in width, with specific requirements for main and secondary circulation routes.

In urban formats and compact stores, choosing the right equipment therefore becomes particularly important: a more compact shopping trolley can make circulation easier while offering more capacity than a hand basket.

How Much Time Do We Actually Spend in Store?

According to a study on supermarket shopping behaviour, the average visit lasts 6.59 minutes.

More importantly, the duration varied significantly depending on the equipment used:

✓ without equipment: 3.3 minutes

✓ with a basket: 7.05 minutes

✓ with a shopping trolley: 13.43 minutes

This highlights an important point: the choice of basket or trolley is directly linked to the customer's shopping mission.

Convenience Retail in Europe

Spain :

Proximity has become the most frequently cited criterion among Spanish consumers when choosing where to shop: 38% rank it first, ahead of price (34%) and quality (31%).

Belgium

Belgium is also following the trend towards the development of neighbourhood and convenience formats. Carrefour Express, Proxy Delhaize and Okay are among the retailers expanding their presence in convenience stores.

Carrefour also launched The Box in Brussels, its smallest European store format, at the end of 2025.

Germany

The German market remains historically dominated by major discount retailers and supermarkets, but convenience retail is also continuing to grow. In 2025, the German convenience retail market reached approximately €14.5 billion, representing 3% value growth.

United Kingdom

The UK is one of Europe's most advanced markets when it comes to convenience retail. The British convenience store market was estimated at around £54 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach £61.8 billion by 2030, according to Mintel.

Major retailers have long been developing formats such as Tesco Express and Sainsbury's Local to meet demand for quick shopping trips and greater convenience.

Physical Stores Are Not Disappearing — They Are Evolving

The growth of e-commerce is pushing physical stores to become more useful, more accessible and more convenient.

A convenience store does not necessarily aim to offer everything that a hypermarket can offer.

Instead, it aims to provide what the customer needs, in the right place and at the right time.

And this also applies to store equipment.

The right trolley. The right basket. The right capacity. The right footprint.

At Cart City, we support food and non-food retailers through this evolution, with a range of shopping trolleys, wheeled baskets and store equipment adapted to different store formats.

Cart City — Retail Equipment for Europe

Shopping trolleys | Wheeled baskets | Hand baskets | Store equipment