EMEA Retail Chain Sizing 2026: POS/mPOS Store Data

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

In this Europe / Middle East / Africa retail store location chain sizing with POS / mPOS study we analyze retail store location chain sizing and point-of-sale devices (POS).

The Europe / Middle East / Africa retail store location chain sizing study with POS / mPOS starts by looking at the entire ecosystem, the number of stores, the size of stores and then the type of store technology used. This retail store chain sizing with POS/mPOS research is ideal for vendors or private equity that are looking to understand if a market is large enough and what the indirect channel opportunities provide. This is quantitative analysis and is best used in conjunction with the regional POS Terminal Studies. And we have this information available for other regions.

Each retail store location chain sizing with POS/mPOS study breaks out the market in great detail so that you can specifically target growing niche’s in the retail and hospitality market.

The retail store location chain sizing with POS/mPOS data is broken down into the following segments:

Food/Grocery
Drug Stores/Pharmacies
Hypermarkets/Supercenters/Warehouse Clubs
Department Stores
Mass Merchants and Discounters
Specialty Hard Goods (DIY, Electronics, Books, Furniture, Sporting Goods, etc)
Specialty Soft Goods (Apparel, Shoes, Leather Goods, etc.)
Hospitality

The retail store location chain sizing with POS/mPOS sizing includes research that is inclusive in retail store locations and chains as well as what is installed for the POS (point-of-sale) with data from the following countries

Germany
France
United Kingdom (UK) (England, Ireland, Wales)
Italy
Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg)
Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Denmark)
Spain
Austria / Switzerland
Russia
Other Europe / Middle East / Africa

Testimonial:

Whenever I think of POS the first expert that comes to mind is IHL Group. IHL Group is so much more than just POS. The depth and breadth of IHL’s studies, databases, tools and fields of expertise grows each year and I look forward to taking full advantage of each and everyone of them. – Joe Skorupa, Group Editor

HIGHLIGHTS

Each regional SMB study breaks out the market in great detail so that you can specifically target growing niche’s in the retail and hospitality market.

The data is broken down into the following segments:

Food/Grocery
Drug Stores/Pharmacies
Hypermarkets/Supercenters/Warehouse Clubs
Department Stores
Mass Merchants and Discounters
Specialty Hard Goods (DIY, Electronics, Books, Furniture, Sporting Goods, etc)
Specialty Soft Goods (Apparel, Shoes, Leather Goods, etc.)
Hospitality

In addition, the data is broken out by the following size of retailers:

1 Store Companies
2-9 Store Chains
10-49 Store Chains
50-100 Store Chains
101-300 Store Chains
301-500 Store Chains
501-1,000 Store Chains Over
1,000 Store Chains

For each of the segments and sizes we have the following information:

# stores
# of Companies that make up those stores
Average # of Cash Points (where tender is taken)
Total number of Cash Points in that segment/size
How many of those cash points are nothing but a wallet verses ECR, Traditional POS or PC on a Cash Drawer.

The information includes the installed base as well as the shipments for the last two years and a forecast for the year forward.

PREVIEW

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FAQs

Which countries and retail segments are included in IHL’s EMEA chain sizing report?

IHL Group’s EMEA Retail Store Location Chain Sizing covers 10 countries across Europe: Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland), Spain, Austria/Switzerland, and Russia. The report profiles retail chains across 8 segments, making it the most comprehensive structured dataset available for EMEA retail market sizing. For technology vendors building European go-to-market plans or retail operators benchmarking their regional footprint, this report provides a reliable, annually updated count of chain locations by country and segment.

How does EMEA retail chain concentration compare across major European markets?

The EMEA retail landscape is highly fragmented by country, with Germany, France, and the UK representing the three largest markets by chain-level retail infrastructure. Market structure varies significantly: the UK skews toward large national chains across most segments, while Germany’s retail sector reflects both powerful national operators and strong regional chains. IHL’s EMEA chain sizing data quantifies these differences at the segment level, enabling vendors to prioritize country entry sequencing and allocate sales resources based on actual account counts rather than GDP proxies or anecdotal market intelligence.

Why do retail technology vendors use IHL’s EMEA chain data for sales territory planning?

EMEA sales territories are notoriously difficult to size because publicly available data conflates single-location independents with genuine chain accounts. IHL’s EMEA chain sizing applies a consistent 2-or-more-location definition and uniform segment taxonomy across all 10 covered countries, giving sales leaders a reliable account universe to divide territories, set quotas, and evaluate market penetration rates. When a vendor knows the specific number of chains and locations in the UK grocery segment versus German mass merchant, territory decisions move from guesswork to defensible allocation.

How is the EMEA chain sizing study structured and what does it cost?

The EMEA Retail Store Location Chain Sizing report is delivered as a PDF document priced at $5,395. It covers 10 countries across Europe and profiles retail chains across 8 segments using IHL’s annual methodology. The report is updated annually to reflect expansion, consolidation, and market exit activity across European retail. Purchasers receive a single document covering all countries and segments, structured to support executive presentations, board-level market assessments, and sales planning workbooks without requiring additional custom analysis.

PRICING

Pricing is dependent on whether the POS Terminal Study for that region is purchased. If it is purchased, the price for each region is $2,000 for the SMB cut out. If not, then the price is $4,995.

Licenses Available

Enterprise License – a license that allows for the research to be accessed and shared internally with anyone else within the organization and wholly owned subsidiaries.

IHL Group License and Fair Use Agreement

All of IHL Group’s generally available research are electronic licenses and can be shared freely within the purchasing organization and wholly owned subsidiaries. We only ask that this information not be shared with partners or others outside the purchasing company without authorization from IHL Group. The license does not extend to joint ventures or other partnerships. If the relationship is not a wholly-owned subsidiary, then both parties would need a license.

Practically, this implies the following:

The purchasing company can use the data and research worldwide internally as long as the international organizations are wholly owned subsidiaries of the purchasing company.
The data or any research cannot be distributed in whole or in part to partners or customers without express written approval from IHL Group.
The purchasing company may quote components of the data (limited use) in presentations to customers such as specific charts. This is limited to percentage components, not individual unit information. Unit data cannot be shared externally without express written approval from IHL Group. All references to the data in presentations should include credit to IHL Group for the data.
The purchasing company can reference qualitative quotes in printed material with written approval from IHL Group.
All requests requiring written approval should be submitted to ihl(at)ihlservices.com and will be reviewed within one business day.

For any questions regarding this policy, please contact us at 1-888-IHL-6777 (North America) +1.615.591.2955 (International) or email us at ihl(at)ihlservices.com.