Eurozone markets are lagging behind in the view of retailers who are looking around the world for attractive locations to open new stores in. Poland placed highest among CEE countries with a 22nd place showing, far behind the UK (5th), Germany (7th) and The Netherlands (9th). In the study of 50 international markets, Italy managed just 23rd place while Hungary came in at 26th.
The study by ARCADIS found that an unfavorable economic environment was holding back the Eurozone markets along with unpredictable consumer demand. Retailers also complained that Euro countries tend to be difficult places in which to do business thanks to complicated business conditions, flexibility of labor and logistics considerations. Germany and the Netherlands were the exception in terms of ease of setting up businesses, while five Euro countries ranked in the top 5 for the quality of infrastructure.
“The mixed results for Europe show that it is currently a challenging region for retailers to be active in,” said John Atkins, Head of Retail Europe at ARCADIS. “Retailers will need to carefully monitor market trends and adjust their store portfolio and layout accordingly. In doing so, they will be able to respond swiftly to sudden increases or decreases of sales.”
