Relocation challenges in European markets

A brilliant US executive lands in Europe, backed by years of results at home: only to struggle, stall, or leave within 18 months. The reverse happens too: European leaders parachute into the US, and suddenly their playbook doesn’t work. I’ve seen this play out too many times. It’s not about competence but context. Here’s what trips people up: 1. Speed vs. consensus. US leaders are used to rapid decision-making and “move fast” cultures. In Europe, consensus-building and layered stakeholder management are expected. What feels like “indecision” to an American is often how trust is built. 2. Market size vs. market complexity. The US is one massive consumer market. Europe is a mosaic of regulations, languages, and local preferences. You can’t roll out a one-size-fits-all playbook and expect traction. 3. Communication. Americans tend to be direct and optimistic. Europeans often value precision, nuance, and humility. What’s inspiring in one market can feel overconfident in another. The numbers back it up: a study by Harvard Business Review found that over 40% of executive relocations fail within the first two years, most often due to cultural adaptation rather than technical skill. But when leaders do succeed abroad, they become far more valuable. They prove agility, cultural fluency, and the ability to deliver results outside their comfort zone. So the lesson isn’t “stay in your lane.” It’s to recognize that leadership isn’t portable without adaptation. The best executives I’ve seen thrive across regions are the ones who start with humility: listening first, translating second, acting third. Final thought: If you’re about to cross the Atlantic in either direction, don’t pack just your playbook. Pack curiosity, patience, and the willingness to relearn what leadership means in a new market. #FMCGLeadership #ConsumerGoods #RetailStrategy

10 markets. 30 retailers. 30 different consumers. And you have one pitch. That's not a European strategy. That's a copy-paste with a different flag on it. Take Leroy Merlin alone. France: inspiration-driven, all DIY levels, looking for advice. Spain: experience seeker, range breadth, ideas. Italy: home & décor lover, quality and service first. Poland: renovation-focused, solutions and price availability. Same retailer. Same name above the door. Four completely different conversations to have. Now add Hornbach, Screwfix, Bauhaus, Hubo, Dedeman, each built around a specific consumer DNA, a specific purchase driver, a specific definition of what value looks like. Winning in one country doesn't make you ready for the next. Winning with one retailer doesn't mean their banner next door wants the same thing. I mapped the top 10 DIY markets in Europe, their top 3 retailers and the consumer profile behind each one. The differences are not subtle. European expansion without retailer-by-retailer strategy is just logistics with hope. One pitch for all of them is not ambition. It's the fastest way to be ignored, professionally, in 30 different markets. Where are you deploying right now? And do you have a strategy for each or one deck for all? ----- P.S. If you're planning European expansion and want a second eye on your approach, let's have a chat. https://lnkd.in/e9ggA9xj

🧊 Temperature Check of the European Supermarket Scene Why are some of the biggest grocery giants exiting key European markets? Over the last few years, retail players like Carrefour, Tesco and METRO AG have retreated from countries they once saw as strategic. These aren’t isolated events, they form a pattern of failed expansion, cultural disconnect and changing consumer habits. ⸻ 🇮🇹 Carrefour is now looking to leave Italy. The French retailer is reportedly in talks with Lidl Italia Real Estate & Property, Conad and Esselunga to sell its 1,200 stores. Over the past five years, Carrefour Italy has racked up €874 million in losses. Sales per square meter are well below the national average. Why? Italian shoppers favor trusted local brands, regional assortments, and often shop based on tradition and service, areas where Carrefour struggled to deliver. Meanwhile, discounters like Lidl thrive by simplifying and scaling. ⸻ 🇵🇱 Tesco exited Poland in 2020–2021. It sold its 300+ stores to Netto after years of declining sales and shrinking market share. The biggest competition? Biedronka and Lidl. Tesco failed to differentiate its offer. It lacked the sharp pricing of discounters and the cultural fit of Polish retailers. Add to that restrictive Sunday trading laws, and Tesco couldn’t adapt fast enough. Polish shoppers turned elsewhere. ⸻ 🇯🇵Japan proved too complex for all three players. Carrefour, Metro and Tesco all left the Japanese market within a decade of entering it. Why? Cultural mismatch. Local shoppers prefer small, daily shopping trips, expect ultra-fresh produce, and value service. Western retailers pushed big-box formats, long shelf lives and non-local assortments. It simply didn’t translate. And think AEON_ AEON Co., Ltd. and 7-Eleven… ⸻ 🇧🇪 Metro AG’s Belgium unit filed for bankruptcy in 2022. Despite strong brand recognition, the cash-and-carry model failed to resonate with local needs. Fragmented market structures and growing competition from more agile players led to an unceremonious exit. ⸻ So what’s really driving these exits? • Strong local players like Biedronka (Poland), Esselunga (Italy) or Uni-President (Taiwan) dominate with loyal customers and tailored offers. • Cultural disconnect has killed more market entries than pricing ever will. Western formats can feel out of sync with local values. • Discounters like Aldi and Lidl win on simplicity, scale and operational efficiency. • Regulations (like Sunday trading bans or zoning laws) favor domestic players who know how to navigate the system. • Strategic refocus is a big one: these giants are prioritizing profitability over empire building. ⸻ 🤔Success isn’t just about being cheaper, it’s about being relevant. ⸻ What’s your take? Are we witnessing consolidation or just smarter strategy? #RetailStrategy #EuropeanRetail #Supermarkets #Carrefour #Tesco #MetroAG #Discounters #MarketExit #CulturalFit #RetailInnovation

Europe is the most fragmented market on earth. That makes it uniquely complex for brands. Unlike Australia or even the U.S., where scale can be achieved through a handful of dominant players, Europe is renowned for its diversity of markets. Each country brings its own mix of retailers, languages, and cultural nuances, sometimes shifting entirely within just a few hours’ drive. Supermarkets like Carrefour, Auchan, and Lidl each command enormous influence, yet even they adjust their strategies from country to country. For this reason, you can’t build a single campaign in Lisbon and expect it to resonate in Lausanne or Lyon. With multiple chains competing across each market, brands must fight harder for physical and mental availability. The challenge is being coherent, but not too uniform; maintaining distinctive brand assets that can flex across cultures and chains without your brand losing its foundations. The key is cultural literacy, understanding not just what’s sold, but why it resonates and adapting your otherwise stable brand ever so slightly to accommodate for this nuance. To put it simply, Europe rewards brands that can think globally but behave locally. Those who manage to balance both are the ones that cut through.

I recently moved from Europe to Austin, TX. While this topic has been covered endlessly, I still want to share my perspective on why building in the U.S. is so much easier than in Europe. 𝟏. 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐫-𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 In Europe, every country behaves like a separate market. A German buyer wants a German salesperson, a German sales engineer, and a German support rep. Each layer of localization adds cost and complexity. In the U.S., one team can cover the entire country. A single sales engineer can work with customers from California to New York. The scale advantages are massive. 𝟐. 𝐁𝐮𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 European buyers are extremely risk-averse. No one wants to be the first in their country to try something new, even if there are successful installations across the border. Sales cycles routinely stretch 1-2 years. U.S. buyers are far more comfortable adopting new technology early. If you can show results, they move and close quickly. 𝟑. 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Europe is a patchwork of rules, standards, certifications, and legal structures. Each country adds another layer. Raising capital requires complex structuring, and ESOPs are so misunderstood that employees can be taxed long before they ever see value. And hiring someone in a third country without a local subsidiary is very painful. The U.S. has unified regulations, clear investor protections, and simple ESOP rules that make fundraising and employee incentives straightforward. 𝟒. 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 Most European investors prioritize downside protection and capital preservation. Even when they invest, capacity for follow-on capital is limited. U.S. investors focus on upside and scale. They move faster, write larger checks, and have significantly more capital to support growth. While we're very fortunate to have found great European investors to support us thus far, the reality is fundraising in the US is substantially easier for later-stage. 𝟓. 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 Europe has plenty of strong founders and early-stage builders, but very few operators who have scaled companies from 10 to 100M+. The U.S. has an entire ecosystem of people who have done it multiple times. Hiring seasoned operators is simply easier. 𝟔. 𝐆𝐨-𝐭𝐨-𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞 In Europe, every country requires localized content, messaging, and teams. Marketing spend is hugely fragmented. In the U.S., the same budget reaches a much larger and more uniform audience. Costs are higher, but targeting is more precise and conversion rates are stronger, so your dollar goes further. All these differences compound over time. In Europe, you can build a great company that does 10s of millions in revenue. In the U.S., a moderately successful company can easily reach 100M. We proved the first path with Photoneo. We are now aiming for the second with Brightpick. 📷 Photo of my wife and dogs on our 3000-mile roadtrip to Austin

For the past 7 years, I have supported 1,100 executives through career transitions across 75 countries. One thing has become very clear: people no longer relocate just for higher salaries. They move ✅ Because their spouse received an offer. ✅ Because of their children's education or health. ✅ For a second passport. ✅ To live by the sea. ✅ For the next step in their career and professional growth. And for countless other reasons. One of my clients lived in the Netherlands for 5 years, obtained Dutch citizenship, and then decided to move to London. His company relocated its office to Ireland after changes to the Dutch tax incentive program, but he simply didn't enjoy living in Dublin. Another client left Romania for Luxembourg because he's a banker, and Luxembourg offered far better career opportunities in his field. Another moved from Russia to Spain, only to receive an offer from Singapore a few years later and relocate once again. These are success stories. But I've also seen relocations that didn't work out. People move from a northern country to a sunny coastal destination because they dream of living by the sea, only to discover that employers rarely hire foreigners. Or there are almost no companies that need their expertise. Or unemployment is already high among local residents. Every country has its own realities. 🇨🇷 In Costa Rica, where I live now, up to 40% of the workforce is employed by the public sector, making most jobs virtually inaccessible to foreigners. 🇫🇷 In France, fluent French is often essential for professional roles. 🇳🇱 The Netherlands has such a severe housing shortage that finding accommodation has become one of the biggest challenges for newcomers. 🇦🇪 In the UAE, executive vacancies can attract 3,000–5,000 applications within the first three days. 🇨🇦 Canada also remains highly competitive. One software engineer recently shared that, despite having 8 years of C# experience, a relevant degree, and experience at 2 major companies, he submitted around 1,000 LinkedIn applications before securing only 10 HR interviews and 2–5 interviews with hiring managers. None of this means an international career is impossible. It simply means that international careers require strategy. Before leaving everything behind, ask yourself: Are your language skills strong enough for your target market? Which companies hire international professionals in your field? Which countries genuinely need your expertise? Choosing a country isn't just a lifestyle decision. It's a strategic career decision. If you'd like to evaluate your situation, review your résumé and LinkedIn profile, and discuss realistic international career opportunities based on your background, you can book an individual consultation with me. What country are you considering for your next career move? Or have you recently relocated? I'd love to hear where you are, where you're headed, and what influenced your decision. #ExecutiveCareer #JobAbroad