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Book your 20 minute 1-1 meetings with specialist sector Trade Advisors from: Austria, Bulgaria, The Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Switzerland.
See below to view the opportunities that each of our markets has to offer:
To log an enquiry about exporting to any of these market, please complete our International Markets Enquiry Form.
Austria and Switzerland
• Characteristics: Austria and Switzerland generally share Germany’s trends but on a smaller scale. Markets are characterised by tech-savvy shoppers and quality products. The Austrian and Swiss consumer is often interested in sustainable retail including eco-friendlier practices like greener packaging or shipping, with this becoming a major trend in the past years.
• Challenges: the Austrian and Swiss retail sectors have faced challenges due to economic turbulence in previous years, and rising energy costs, inflation, and geopolitical disruptions impacted consumer spending power and sales. However, there is optimism for a recovery, with projections indicating growth in 2024 and beyond.
• Switzerland: As compared to Austria, Switzerland has higher levels of e-shoppers and internet usage, higher disposable income, and younger demographics. The country is a hub for luxury products, with consumers preferring to buy these in-store. Companies need to be aware of Switzerland’s 26 cantons (regions) and four (three main) national languages. Especially in food retail, two larger companies, Migros and Coop, dominate the market.
• Austria: Austrians continue to support smaller local business at higher levels than its neighbours. Sectors of projected growth include discounters, fashion, cosmetics, pharma products, nutritional supplements and sports nutrition. Under the EU's Schengen Agreement, Austria enjoys relatively open border control between itself and its eight neighbouring countries, making it a central location within Europe.
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Bulgaria
• Over the past few years, there has been a consistent growth on the Bulgarian retail market, and consumers have become more receptive to new and imported products. Many UK brands are present in the market operating via online stores, concessions or through wholesale.
• UK companies are well placed to win business in a number of areas, including premium high street fashion, franchising and sustainable consumption. Our goal is to expand sales of existing UK brands in Bulgaria by promoting UK retail via e-platforms. Support the launch of 3 new UK brands onto Fashion Days e-marketplace (WalG, etc). Showcase prime UK consumer goods at Embassy and Residence events. Focus intensively on beauty and expressed interest from local buyers in specific UK brands, such as Charlotte Tilbury, REFY, Wonderskin, etc.
• The lead on the sector also has a responsibility to support the Automotive Sector (JLR, BWM Mini), promote sustainable packaging (DS Smith Bulgaria) and support High-street & Luxury Goods (Clothing sector despite the decrease of popularity of the clothing vs beauty goods).
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The Czech Republic
• Fashion and Accessories: The Czech fashion market is dynamically evolving, with an estimated annual growth by 3%. UK brands are well recognised for high quality and craftsmanship. UK retailers usually enter either directly (e.g. M&S), or via a franchise partner (e.g. Next kids). Sustainability and slow fashion are increasingly on demand. Shopping fashion online is a very strong trend – fashion sales represent 29% of all e-commerce sales in the market.
• Beauty: The Czech beauty sector is flourishing, with a long tradition of local brands succeeding even internationally. Czech consumers are still price sensitive when it comes to beauty products. However, organic beauty is rising in popularity. UK beauty products -mass market and premium - are very popular in the market (e.g. Jo Malone, Molton Brown, Baylis & Harding, Noble Isle, etc.). This category is very strong in e-commerce, with around 63% of Czech consumers occasionally shopping beauty products online (e.g. Notino, Douglas, Sephora, etc.), which is well above the EU average.
• Luxury: This segment is dominated by British luxury cars that are well recognised for design and craftsmanship. Brands such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin, JLR or Mini are very popular locally.
• Food Service: Following a sharp drop of interest during the pandemic, Czech companies are now looking for new food concepts to bring to their customers yet again.
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France:
• E-commerce and Retail Technologies: The e-commerce sector in France has seen significant growth, with online sales quadrupling over the past decade. This growth is driven by advancements in digitalisation, shifts in consumer behaviour, and innovations in retail technologies. Key trends include the rise of phygital commerce, which combines online and offline retail experiences, and the increasing use of AI and automation to streamline operations and enhance customer experiences. Retailers are also adopting augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to offer immersive shopping experiences.
• Fashion and Luxury: The fashion and luxury sector in France is renowned for its craftsmanship. Despite challenges such as inflation and changing consumer behaviour, the sector continues to thrive. Key trends include a growing emphasis on sustainability and ethical practices, with consumers increasingly seeking brands that align with these values. The market is also seeing a rise in digital fashion and the use of 3D creation and digital data. Paris remains a global hub for fashion, with events like Paris Fashion Week playing a crucial role in showcasing new trends and innovations.
• Beauty: The beauty sector in France is highly competitive and continues to evolve with a strong emphasis on natural, organic and niche / luxury products. Consumers are increasingly willing to pay a premium for products that offer these benefits, driving market growth. France is also a significant player in the global cosmetic market. It is the world's leading exporter of cosmetics, with a market share of over 15%.
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Germany:
• E-commerce and Retail Technologies: In Germany consumers are increasingly comfortable with online shopping. Amazon, Zalando, and Otto are major players, but niche online platforms are also gaining traction. Germany is deliberate in adopting retail technology. Its focus on sustainability, logistics, and data privacy gives it strengths, while slower adoption in digital payments, automation, and omnichannel strategies offers significant opportunities for improvement.
• Fashion and Clothing: Fashion e-commerce is a massive development in the German fashion market, influencing how consumers choose and shop, as well as putting a question mark over the future of stores. German consumers prioritise quality, durability, and functionality over fast fashion or fleeting trends. Although willing to invest in quality, many consumers remain price-conscious, favouring discounts and promotions. A strong preference for sustainable and ethically produced clothing is driving growth in eco-friendly and fair-trade fashion. Casual and comfortable clothing dominates everyday fashion, with less emphasis on high-end or avant-garde styles.
• Beauty and Health: The German health and beauty sector is growing, driven by consumer awareness, demand for wellness products and young consumers entering the market. The sector is highly competitive, and retailers must differentiate themselves through innovation, customer experience, or niche offerings. The mass market segment is larger in terms of volume due to its broad appeal and affordability. The luxury segment is smaller but growing, driven by demand for high-end products. Germany's eco-conscious consumers are influencing both segments, leading to growth in sustainable beauty across all price points.
• DIY, Garden and Home Improvement: Germany leads Europe in the DIY, garden, and home improvement sector, driven by a culture of self-sufficiency and high homeownership rates. Germans have a long tradition of "do-it-yourself" projects, especially for home maintenance, repairs, and upgrades and spend significantly on DIY and gardening projects, reflecting their preference for home improvement and outdoor living. The sector is dynamic, with stores enjoying popularity and demand among consumers that covers broad range of products, including building materials, tools, paints, garden supplies, and home décor.
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Italy:
• Luxury Fashion & Textiles – UK fashion brands continue to do well in Italy despite the challenges faced by the sector more generally. That’s because the Italian consumer appreciates the heritage, quality, craftsmanship and innovation of UK manufacturing and design. Milan hosts its Fashion Week for menswear and womenswear, one of the three key fashion weeks globally, whilst also hosting Milano Unica, the globally-significant textile event, and Pitti Uomo in Florence, for luxury menswear, the largest show of its kind in the world.
• Beauty – significant opportunities for UK companies in Italy including for innovative and creative products and those focused on organic/sustainability. Cosmoprof in Bologna attracts a significant number of UK exhibitors (100+) and Italian buyers.
• Pet Industry – growing sector in Italy with consumers increasing their spending on their pets, including premium products as well as innovative ‘health-based’ products.
• Retail Technology - The e-commerce sector in Italy is behind that of the UK and elsewhere, with consumers still preferring bricks and mortar for shopping. However, since the pandemic there has been significant growth of online sales. Technological advances in the retail sector are significant, especially for luxury fashion and beauty, and we’ve noted a sharp rise in interest from UK companies in partnering with UK and Italian luxury companies to advance the retail experience on offer to consumers including immersive shopping experiences. We don’t prioritise household (interiors, furnishings etc), and giftware.
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Poland:
• E-commerce: Poland is one of the fastest developing e-commerce markets in Europe. The leader of the market, the main marketplace Allegro (largely outgrowing Amazon.pl) is currently on the lookout for new merchants from the UK. Poland is also home to regional online fashion leader Answear.com and the 2nd biggest beauty e-tailer in Europe Makeup.pl, both on the lookout for new brands.
• Cosmetics: There is a big demand for British products, which are perceived as high quality, eco-friendly and innovative by buyers and consumers. People are also increasingly ready to pay more for premium, quality products but the mass market products are still dominating the landscape.
• Fashion: The department store and high-street models are almost non-existent in Poland. People buy in shopping malls and online. Agents and online retailers are especially looking for recognisable, well-established British brands, including luxury brands but the sustainability trend is also on the rise so niche brands also have chances, especially if they are strong in the social media.
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Spain:
• E-commerce and Retail Technologies: The e-commerce sector in Spain is continuously growing. At present we are working with key platforms for fashion and the retail sector. Spain is home to Miravia (Alibaba group marketplace). Amazon Spain is continuously growing.
• Toiletries and cosmetics: (mass market and premium) There is a lot of demand for British products, they are well recognised, and people are willing to pay a price for it. There is also high demand for UK food and drink products in Spain (mainly in the Costas for the tourist and expat communities) and we are targeting Carrefour etc. for this category.
• Fashion, accessories, shoes: A difficult area for Spain at present due to the EU exit and the lack of importers – there are mainly agents and distributors. Therefore, shipping from the EU direct to Spain is the preferred option. El Corte Ingles, the only departmet store in Spain, would only buy for companies shipping direct from the EU. UK brands are well recognised in Spain by their quality and design. • Food service sector (belongs to Retail) - working at present with key players in the UK market opening stores in Spain.
See here for more information.
