A pop-up designed for events
For the festive season, Carrefour Belgium is launching the smallest store in Europe. It offers service, fun products, and enjoyment… all within 45 m². Here is a closer look at this new, unique, and reusable concept.
A mobile store? Choosing the container
Internally, Carrefour explored the idea of creating a mobile store. Several options were considered:
- A large travelling truck? Not ideal: expensive and with a limited interior atmosphere.
- Large tents? In Belgium, the weather is often tricky, and closing a tent the way you close a store is not easy.
- A container then? A better option. But they needed a high-quality model capable of withstanding repeated moves without deteriorating the seals. Carrefour had already experimented with containers for drive pickup at RTBF and VRT, so internal knowledge existed.
The container option was chosen, but not just any model. Carrefour opted for a box-like version with glass walls — a premium, eye-catching model. Another deliberate choice: no window stickers, to maintain full visibility and a clean aesthetic.
The container measures 45 m², making it probably the smallest store in Europe (excluding fully automated concepts such as Buy Bye).
Despite the limited space, it offers real service: pastries from Atelier Éclair, a Buddy Corner spirit with sandwiches and fresh preparations. Downstairs you’ll find a counter and shelves. Upstairs you can sit down to enjoy a meal or a drink. Service goes further with mobile payment: no need for back-and-forth trips. Staff can bring you a second glass (or a third but stay reasonable) and cash you out instantly thanks to digital tools.
The offer includes 400 references, focused on street food and a Gen Z–oriented assortment, with products available in Carrefour’s central warehouse but not always in stores. For comparison: a typical Carrefour Express offers around 4,000 to 5,000 references on 220 m².
The store is also available on Deliveroo under “The Box”. Thanks to a partnership with the Auderghem store, delivery is possible within a 7 km radius.
For Carrefour, the objective is to allow people to discover the brand in a place they enjoy visiting. As Arnaud Lesne put it: “Think of the Tomorrowland atmosphere or the pop-ups at Flagey. Here we’re at the Christmas market — another place of enjoyment. That is the kind of experience and association between pleasure and Carrefour we want to create.” Carrefour believes in the project: in 2026, the goal is to install this concept 5 or 6 times in “pleasure locations”.
In summary
- Street food offer
- 45 m²
- Service
- Wifi available
- Mobile checkout
- Link and actions with a Christmas charity
- Space can be privatized
- The Box is reusable
A charm offensive towards consumers… with a charitable angle
The store is open at the Brussels Christmas market (until 3 January 2026). This is an opportunity to link its presence with Carrefour’s annual initiative supporting orphanages and hospitals in Brussels. Consumers are invited to bring gifts to The Box, where toys are collected and redistributed to disadvantaged and orphaned children.
My 20/CENT
As usual, this is a stylish pop-up store developed by the Carrefour teams. And Carrefour has experience: Act For Food, Buy Bye, Reeborn, and the annual Tomorrowland store. Carrefour knows events — but especially functional events. The aim is always twofold: offer a pleasant experience and learn for the future.
Visiting the store, you feel a bit of the Buddy Corner vibe. For those unfamiliar: Buddy Corner is a specific store next to Carrefour Belgium’s offices in Zaventem. Instead of a standard Express, Carrefour installed a concept adapted to office life: products to make a decent meal or quick shopping, snacks, but also a space to eat, sit, enjoy a pleasant atmosphere, and receive true service.
What is also interesting is that this project is a charm offensive designed to appeal to younger customers (especially Gen Z), but not only. It is clearly about customer experience, positioning Carrefour as a partner in enjoyable moments: “I’m here with you at the Christmas market, and I’ll be there at other events too.” And make no mistake: this box will be reused several times next year.
In my view, this is very well done. Carrefour returns to a very compact format focused on the essentials: service and a pleasant experience. No thousands of references — just what’s necessary (with adjustments at every installation). And above all: service, because that is what people expect when shopping or attending events.
In short, Carrefour isn’t putting you in a box: on the contrary, the retailer is delivering a functional, pleasant concept with the potential, thanks to digital tools and thoughtful design, to win over many people.
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