Supermarkets open on Sundays are disrupting the foodservice

INSIGHT - The reflex of "expensive convenience purchases" is on its last legs. Sunday is becoming just another day for grocery shopping. By redefining the standard of consumption, supermarkets are disrupting the offerings and models of the foodservice industry.

Carrefour has finally followed suit by also opening all of its company-owned stores on Sundays . It's worth noting that the food shopping landscape in Belgium has been undergoing a gradual transformation since 2024. Driven by regulatory changes and evolving consumer expectations, several major retailers have revised their opening hours.

Led by Delhaize, Sunday supermarket openings have become a real turning point in the Belgian food retail sector. The chain has widely expanded access to its stores on Sundays, often all day in urban areas, and more frequently in the morning in rural areas. Intermarché is following a similar path.

The Colruyt Group, more skeptical of this trend, has extended these practices to certain convenience store formats, notably OKay. Far from a simple one-off adjustment, this movement marks a clear break with the sector's historical practices and is permanently redefining food consumption patterns in Belgium.

The weekend's bill? €100 million

According to Gondola Academy, 25% of consumers already do their grocery shopping on weekends, a proportion that reaches 30% among younger generations and families with children. With extended shopping hours, particularly on Sundays and evenings, this share is expected to continue to grow.

In this context, the out-of-home consumption sector, which represents €15.5 billion in Belgium according to Gondola Foodservice, is directly affected. Two segments appear particularly vulnerable. Firstly, shops in petrol stations, historically focused on convenience, have expanded their role to become outlets for small purchases and ready-to-eat food products. This market now represents nearly €550 million.

On the other hand, delivery and takeaway services, a market worth 500 million euros, are driven by platforms like Uber Eats or Just Eat Takeaway, but a large part of which still consists of direct orders and classic takeaway.

These uses (meal delivery, takeaway, and local food shopping) are proportionally more frequent on weekends. The market share potentially exposed to direct competition from supermarkets open on Sundays can therefore be estimated at around 100 million euros.

Unflattering comparison

The issue is not so much an automatic transfer of volumes as it is a questioning of the price of the commodity. Unlike retail, foodservice and convenience store operators operate with limited economies of scale and higher structural costs.

The observed price differences primarily reflect this economic reality, in a context where Sunday retail competition will redefine consumer choices. Comparing prices on strictly comparable products highlights this structural gap.

For a 200-gram pack of Tagada strawberries, consumers pay nearly 65% more at a gas station, around €4, compared to €2.39 in a supermarket. For a jar of Nutella, the difference is close to 30%, with a price of around €4.39 outside of retail outlets. The gap is even more pronounced for a 500ml bottle of water: its price can be more than two and a half times the supermarket price at gas stations, and up to eight times the retail price for delivery, around €4.70.

Tax shock and the imperative to reinvent

In addition to these price differences, a new, less favorable tax framework will be introduced in 2026. The announced increase in VAT on takeaway meals and fast food, from 6% to 12%, risks further widening this gap, while similar products sold in supermarkets remain taxed at 6%.

This evolution calls for a coordinated response from all stakeholders. First, from public authorities, to preserve the competitiveness of a sector comprised mainly of SMEs, deeply rooted in the local economy. Second, from suppliers and distributors, to strengthen the efficiency of the value chain. Finally, from businesses themselves, faced with the need to optimize their operations and make more precise trade-offs between price, volume, and service level.

In a changing food landscape, the consumer remains the final arbiter, making a clear and deliberate value proposition for each service offered more necessary than ever.