Carrefour meets its customers where they are
For years, retailers focused their efforts on their stores. Today, some are going a step further: bringing the store directly to consumers. Festivals, sporting events, tourist destinations... Carrefour Belgium is multiplying its temporary retail formats to stay true to its promise of being the "favorite neighborhood store," even when that neighborhood happens to be a festival campsite or the paddock of a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
In this episode of The Retail Influencer, Arnaud Lesne discusses a strategy that goes far beyond a simple marketing stunt.
Being present where consumers live and spend their time
For Carrefour, the logic is simple: if consumers are spending several days at a festival, on a beach, or attending a major event, the retailer wants to be there alongside them.
After eight years at Tomorrowland, Carrefour is entering a new chapter. In 2026, the retailer was notably present at Les Ardentes and will also be present at the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps. Other events are already in the pipeline, although it is still too early to reveal details.
The goal is not simply to place a logo on-site but to provide a genuine service to visitors.
A different setup for every event
One of the most interesting aspects of this strategy is the absence of a standardized format.
Depending on the context, Carrefour may deploy:
- A fully operational temporary store
- A food truck
- A converted container
- Or The Box, its modular concept already used in Brussels during a charity initiative at the Christmas market
At Spa-Francorchamps, The Box will be installed along the starting line, while a second retail outlet will serve the 50,000 campers attending the Grand Prix weekend.
At Les Ardentes, the approach was different: one store was located inside the campsite and another directly opposite the Main Stage, at the heart of the festival.
Each setup is designed according to site constraints, visitor flows, and the desired customer experience.
Real-life testing grounds
These temporary stores also allow Carrefour to experiment with new ways of operating retail locations.
Space limitations, customer traffic, reduced assortments, checkout speed, and innovative layouts all turn each event into a live testing environment.
The teams continuously adapt:
- Store format
- Product assortment
- Equipment
- Logistics organization
- Customer experience
The lessons learned can later inspire other projects and influence thinking around traditional stores.
Winning tomorrow’s consumers
Beyond the revenue generated during these events, Carrefour is pursuing a strategic objective: strengthening its relationship with a young and highly mobile customer base.
Arnaud Lesne describes a generation that evolves rapidly through different life stages: shared housing, first apartment, family life, and beyond.
This audience is also more willing to switch retailers than previous generations.
At a time when consumers enjoy more choice than ever before — seven-day-a-week stores, new e-commerce players, and a growing number of convenience formats — Carrefour is seeking to create an emotional connection with consumers aged 22 to 38.
The ambition is clear: become their retailer of choice before their shopping habits become firmly established.
Much more than sponsorship
Unlike many brands present at festivals, Carrefour does not see itself as a simple sponsor.
The retailer prefers to speak of partnerships.
The objective is twofold:
- Contribute to the event experience
- Meet a concrete need for visitors
While a beverage brand may focus on marketing activations and entertainment, Carrefour sells the products that festival-goers and campers genuinely need to enjoy their stay.
Retail remains at the heart of the strategy.
Logistics worthy of a military operation
Behind these temporary stores lies a highly complex organization.
Teams must manage:
- Night-time deliveries
- Locations that are sometimes difficult to access
- Extremely limited space
- Continuous replenishment solutions
- IT systems operating in the middle of fields or forests
Checkout operations are also a major challenge. Teams systematically prepare backup solutions to guarantee sales continuity, even in the event of connectivity issues.
For Carrefour, these constraints are also an excellent opportunity to challenge and improve its supply chain and operational teams.
Belgium as Carrefour Group’s innovation laboratory
This capacity for innovation now extends beyond Belgium's borders.
As with the autonomous Carrefour BuyBye concept, already exported to France, several initiatives developed in Belgium have attracted the attention of the Group's teams in Massy.
There is a constant exchange between the two countries. Belgium shares its innovations around autonomous stores and event-based formats, while France contributes expertise in other areas, notably partnerships with charities and food donation programs.
This collaboration highlights Belgium's role as a true innovation laboratory within the Carrefour Group.
My 20/CENT
Carrefour's approach demonstrates one thing: convenience retail is no longer limited to the four walls of a store.
Today, retailers need to go where consumers are. And if consumers spend several days at a festival, a Grand Prix, or another major event, why wait for them to come to the store?
By multiplying these temporary formats, Carrefour pursues several objectives simultaneously: generating revenue, increasing visibility, recruiting new customers, and testing new operational solutions in conditions very different from those of a traditional supermarket. It is ambitious, but so far the strategy appears to be delivering results.
I also appreciated a remark made during our conversation: not every event necessarily makes sense. Tomorrowland is an extraordinary showcase, but is it really the best place to reinforce Carrefour's positioning as the "Belgians' neighborhood store"? By focusing more on locally rooted events that are closer to its target audience, Carrefour is adapting its approach rather than trying to be everywhere. That strikes me as a smart move.
And as I have written several times before: the loyal consumer increasingly belongs to the past. Retailers must constantly win consumers over. Convincing Generation Z, continuing to engage millennials, already preparing for Generation Alpha... the work never stops.
Being present at festivals, major sporting events, winter festivals, and other popular gatherings therefore becomes an obvious choice. This is where today's consumers are — and tomorrow's as well.
Personally, I believe Carrefour Belgium has launched a series of interesting initiatives in recent months. It feels like a retailer that is testing, taking risks, and trying to accelerate.
The real question now is this: will this momentum translate into sustainable market share gains?
What do you think? Is Carrefour successfully staging a comeback in the Belgian market?
CarrefourArnaud LesneStrategy StratégieActivationBranding