Eurocash brings together expansion teams across its franchise networks

Eurocash has brought together the teams responsible for expanding its individual franchise networks. The integrated structure is intended to improve assessments of locations’ potential and tailor partnership arrangements to each shop. This is a significant change for entrepreneurs considering joining the Group’s franchise networks: alongside recruiting shops, Eurocash is emphasising partners’ willingness to adopt shared commercial, promotional and digital tools and practices.

Joint expansion rather than separate teams

StockWatch reported the merger of the expansion teams on 26 October 2026 in its coverage of changes at Eurocash Group. According to information provided by the Group, the new structure enables better assessments of individual locations’ growth potential. It is also intended to make it easier to recommend a partnership model suited to a shop’s needs and local market conditions.

Finding the right fit for each shop, rather than simply increasing partner numbers, is one of the priorities of the current approach to expansion. Eurocash brings together shops operating under the ABC, Groszek, Euro Sklep, Gama, Lewiatan, Delikatesy Centrum and Duży Ben brands. In its account of the changes, the Group highlights the integrated team’s joint assessment of each location’s potential.

For entrepreneurs, the practical implications matter most. Discussions about joining a network should cover not only brand recognition but also why a particular partnership model is appropriate for their shop. The integration of the teams does not, in itself, signal changes to the terms of every franchise agreement: it concerns the organisation of expansion and how partnership offers are tailored.

More than 400 shops, but within a defined scope

In the first half of 2026, more than 400 shops joined the ABC, Groszek, Euro Sklep and Delikatesy Centrum networks. As the Group’s expansion update makes clear, this figure excludes the Gama and Lewiatan networks. It also excludes company-owned shops transferred to franchisees.

This distinction matters when assessing the scale of expansion. Recruiting a shop into a network and handing over an existing outlet to a local entrepreneur are two different processes. The first describes shops joining the specified networks; the second involves changing how a shop already within the Group is operated. They should not be treated as a single category of new openings.

Of the new partners, 30% were entrepreneurs who had previously operated within other franchise systems. The remaining 70% comprised independent retailers beginning a partnership with Eurocash and existing partners expanding through further openings. The integrated expansion function therefore recruits entrepreneurs with varied experience, from independent shop owners to those already familiar with operating within a franchise network.

Shared tools become an important criterion

Eurocash stresses that its new expansion model also places importance on entrepreneurs’ willingness to use the solutions offered by the Group. New partners commit to participating in a shared commercial policy and promotional activities, and to implementing tools that support sales. The partnership offer therefore goes beyond branding and stock supply alone.

The Group also points to its own comparison of shop performance. According to the figures it presented, shops that consistently followed the shared policy recorded like-for-like sales, known as LFL, that were 2.1% higher, and 2.9% more transactions, than shops that had not fully implemented these measures.

These results should be read as a comparison presented by Eurocash, not as a guarantee of performance for a new franchisee. Nor do they indicate the shop owner’s profit. Sales and transaction numbers describe a shop’s trading activity, but they are no substitute for assessing costs and profitability. When speaking to a network representative, it is therefore worth asking which measures the shared policy covered and how the extent of implementation was assessed.

Expansion changes alongside the shift away from company-operated shops

The integration of the teams accompanies a change in the operating model of Delikatesy Centrum. Eurocash has transferred 103 company-owned shops in this network to franchisees, delivering the project ahead of schedule. The number of transferred shops has risen by more than 30 since the end of July.

Under this model, a local entrepreneur takes responsibility for the day-to-day running of the shop. Eurocash remains a partner, providing stock and business support. The stated aim of the transformation is a more efficient operating model based on working with entrepreneurs and developing promising locations.

The two processes therefore share a common theme: a greater role for the entrepreneur running the shop, while continuing to draw on the Group’s resources and support. Integrating expansion concerns the selection of locations and partnership models, whereas transferring company-owned shops concerns responsibility for their daily operation.

Practical takeaway: before choosing a network, ask why its model suits your particular shop, what commercial activities you will be required to undertake, and for a breakdown of costs. Sales figures from other outlets can inform the discussion, but they cannot replace an assessment of your own location.