Since 1963
Who we are
Independent Retail Europe is the European association that acts as an umbrella organisation for the independent retail sector. Our members are associations and groups of independent retailers and associations of such groups.
An independent retailer is a privately owned and operated store-based or multichannel retail business. These retailers may function under the umbrella of a larger cooperative or voluntary retail group that ensures entrepreneurial autonomy while offering certain shared resources, such as joint buying and marketing, branding, and infrastructure of their respective retail organisations.
Groups of independent retailers are cooperative/associative organisations of independent SME retail entrepreneurs that provide purchasing and support services to their member retailers whilst fully respecting the independent character of each individual retailer. Members of a group can assist each other, engage in joint purchases of goods and services to achieve economies of scale, and steer the management of the group in a cooperative manner. This way, individual retail entrepreneurs are able to grow their businesses and compete with large integrated chains and franchise structures on the market. The consumer is the ultimate beneficiary as this widens consumer choice, leading to lower prices. Independent retailers’ stores are characterised by their ‘local touch’ and their chosen product assortment that enables them to directly respond to the specific needs of their local consumers, e.g. by integrating regional products into their range.
Together, we represent the full diversity of independent retail in Europe – from individual, family-run stores to cooperative, Small Mid-Caps (SMCs), symbol and associative retail groups, many of which rank among the largest retail groups in the European Union.
Independent Retail Europe represents
479.000 independent retailers
with a combined retail turnover of more than 1.446 billion euros and more than 708.000 points of sale.
23 groups and associations
of groups in Europe
employing over 6,3 million people and generating a combined wholesale turnover of more than 657 billion euros
This makes Independent Retail Europe an influential, experienced and respected voice in EU policy development in the heart of Europe.
Independent Retail Europe is the oldest multisector retail association in Brussels. The association was initially founded in 1963 under the name UGAL (Union des groupements d’achat de l’alimentation) as an association of buying groups for independent retailers in the food sector. In 1987, UGAL reformed to include also buying groups from the non-food sectors. In 2002, as a result UGAL was further developed into UGAL – Union of Groups of independent retailers of Europe. 16 October 2013 marked another turning point in our association’s history when we rebranded to Independent Retail Europe, as associations of local retailers across Europe joined the association. Today, Independent Retail Europe is the only European trade association that represents the European independent retail sector as a whole.
What we do
- ADVOCATING FOR INDEPENDENT RETAILERS
A large part of our work is sectoral interest representation or ‘advocacy’ in the context of the EU policy development and legislative process. Advocacy refers to the way in which many interest groups interact directly with policy makers in order to ensure that legislation is efficient, effective and workable for the economic sectors they represent, and does not impede their competitiveness or development by imposing unnecessary burdens on the them.
Sectoral advocacy is an officially recognised and indispensable element of transparent, efficient and good policy-making at EU level. The EU wants to ensure that its policies and legislation do not curb the competitiveness of businesses or of the European economy as a whole. EU policy makers therefore consult representative EU trade organisations such as Independent Retail Europe on their policy and legislative initiatives. EU trade associations like ours play a privileged role in the process, and can therefore have a decisive influence on how future EU legislation impacting independent retail are shaped.
Independent Retail Europe ensures that the voices of independent retailers – from SMEs to large cooperative groups – are heard in Brussels and beyond. We promote a pro independent retail EU policy agenda that strengthens competitiveness, safeguards diversity and prevents unintended consequences that disproportionately affect independent retailers.
Because of the structure of our members, our work focuses on SME retail issues as well as issues impacting cooperative groups of independent retailers.
- EMPOWERING OUR MEMBERS to shape and anticipate EU laws
We offer our members the opportunity to directly contribute to EU policy-making in ways that benefit their business model. Our team engages directly with the EU institutions to promote the business model of our members and to ensure that their competitiveness is not jeopardised by EU policy and legislation. We continuously supply our members with the latest political intelligence on relevant regulatory developments at the EU level and analyses of and opinions on complex EU legislation, allowing them to anticipate regulatory changes and constantly be one-step ahead of their competitors.
- A high-level NETWORKING platform
We facilitate networking with peers and policy-makers from across Europe. We also frequently organise meetings in Brussels for our members, in a group or individually, to meet relevant decision-makers.
- RAISING AWARENESS
Finally, we increase awareness of the independent retail sector and the important role it plays in the market by frequently participating in and speaking at events on subjects of concern to our members.