Luxembourg gained 19 supermarkets after 2019, according to RTL Today’s coverage of the 2024 Retail Report. But the same report recorded growth in specialist food shops, organic shops and retailers selling international products—a more varied picture than supermarkets simply replacing smaller food businesses.
The supermarket increase amounted to 4.9%, with discount chains particularly represented. Specialist shops, including tea and cheese retailers, added 60 establishments, an increase of 78.9%. Organic shops increased by eight, or 27.6%, while shops offering international products added 15, a rise of 19.2%.
Those figures show several types of food retailer expanding during the period covered. They do not establish what happened to traditional market stalls, which are not separately measured in RTL’s account. Nor do business counts reveal how shoppers divided their spending between supermarkets, specialist retailers and markets.
The wider retail picture was relatively stable in terms of space per resident. Total retail space reached 1.11 million square metres, with space growing by 5.2% since 2019 against population growth of 5.5%. Retail space per inhabitant moved slightly, from 1.67 to 1.68 square metres. These are figures for retail overall, rather than a measure of food shopping alone.
There were also losses within particular trades. The report recorded nine fewer butchers, a decline of 4.3%. Cafés and bars lost 63 establishments, or 8%. Meanwhile, restaurants added 18 businesses and fast-food restaurants added 79. The changes point to different fortunes across businesses rather than a uniform expansion or contraction of local commerce.
Profitability remained a concern. Chamber of Commerce Director General Carlo Thelen said numerous businesses had faced difficulties, with some cafés adding snacks and small dishes and some shops broadening their organic ranges. These observations describe adaptations, but do not demonstrate that supermarket competition caused the pressures.
For residents asking whether traditional markets are being displaced, the report provides a useful starting point and a clear limit. Supermarkets expanded, but so did several specialist food formats. Establishing replacement would require evidence about market participation, closures, shopping habits, prices and access that this account does not provide.
