Retail space planning
CADS delivers accurate retail store design and space planning services to help manage and optimise layout and floor space across your retail stores.
Retail space planning & floor plan optimisationUK grocery shopper behaviour and retail estate strategy
UK grocery shopper behaviour is diverging, reshaping retail estate strategy and store performance across the UK. Strategic store and estate planning is the key to driving customer satisfaction and results.
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UK grocery shopper behaviour trends in 2026
UK grocery shoppers are increasingly divided – price‑driven consumers are turning toward discount and value channels, while more affluent shoppers focus on quality, sustainability, and curated experiences, according to recent research reported by Grocery Gazette.
These diverging behaviours are reshaping retail estates and highlight the strategic importance of estate strategy, store layout optimisation, and space planning to drive performance across all store formats.
Understanding divergent shopper expectations
Retailers now face the challenge of designing stores that satisfy widely different shopper priorities. Value-focused customers prioritise convenience and price, while premium shoppers expect immersive experiences and high-quality service.
Strategic space planning ensures store layouts and estate strategies are tailored to these behaviours, improving shopper satisfaction and commercial outcomes.
Shopper behaviour trends
The divide is visible across all store formats. Discount retailers such as Aldi and Lidl continue rapid expansion. Premium stores like Waitrose invest in immersive, experience-driven layouts. Read more about 15 years of store planning support for Waitrose & Partners by CADS.
Shoppers’ trips range from quick convenience visits to experience-focused large-store visits. Retailers must adapt estate and space planning to align with these behaviours. An Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) forecast for 2025 – 2030 highlights that differentiated estate strategies are essential for success.
These shifts are not just strategic, they require practical implementation. Retailers increasingly need to translate shopper behaviour into store layouts, adjacencies, and formats that can be consistently delivered across the estate.
How retail space planning supports estate strategy
CADS Retail Space Planning includes:
- Developing data-informed store planning strategies based on client briefs and shopper behaviour.
- Creating optimised store layouts to support sales and broader estate strategies.
- Integrating spatial design with category performance optimisation.
- Incorporating modern retail needs, including seamless omnichannel solutions such as fulfilment and customer journey optimisation.
Aaron Wright, Managing Director at CADS, explains:
“Across our retail space planning and store planning clients, we see that macro space planning is no longer just about optimising individual store layouts – it’s about strategic estate design.
Retailers balance value, convenience, and premium experiences across networks. Effective planning helps informed decisions in a polarised grocery market.”
CADS’ experience shows that small adjustments in format, space allocation, or store layout can significantly influence shopper satisfaction and commercial outcomes. In practice, retailers can improve performance without increasing store size by optimising space allocation, adjacencies, and store layouts.
Applying shopper behaviour in-store
UK grocery shopper behaviour is becoming increasingly mission-led, placing greater pressure on store layouts, adjacencies, and space allocation to perform.
Translating these trends into effective retail space planning is critical to improving store efficiency, customer flow, and overall performance across the estate.
Explore how our retail space planning services support data-led store optimisation.
Retail space planningRetail store surveysStrategic considerations for retailers
Retailers respond to diverging shopper priorities in practical ways:
- Value-led formats: Efficient layouts, clear wayfinding, and high-impact promotions.
- Premium stores: Immersive experiences, curated ranges, and sustainable design.
- Omnichannel integration: Seamless click-and-collect and digital touchpoints enhance the journey without disrupting in-store experiences.
Pete Humm, Head of Retail at CADS, explains in the insight article CADS enables store fit-out rollouts with expert planning and execution.
“Our adaptive approach is designed to help retailers thrive in this ever-changing world. Retailers are navigating increased demand for trends like personalisation, convenience and experiential retail, all of which require a strategic approach to space planning.”
CADS UK based Retail Planners
In the Deloitte report Retail and Consumer Trends 2026: Human-led intelligence, the article highlights the ongoing value of human retail expertise:
“A critical theme across our four trends is ‘human-led intelligence’. Even with advanced AI, we believe that the characteristics that define high-performing consumer businesses must, and will, remain human. While technology is a critical enabler, human elements such as creativity and trust remain at the core of successful consumer engagement.”
Personalisation, convenience, and experience are reshaping retail – and demand a more strategic approach to space planning
Key takeaways for retailers
Diverging shopper behaviour is transforming estate and space planning into a strategic priority. By using evidence-based planning, retailers can tailor store formats across grocery, convenience, and fashion retail. They can also integrate omnichannel solutions seamlessly and enhance both operational efficiency and the customer experience.
With cost pressures and inflation continuing to influence consumer choices, data-driven planning has never been more important. Retailers adopting these approaches are better equipped to succeed in competitive and behaviourally diverse markets.
Shifting shopper behaviour across other retail sectors
Beyond grocery, fashion and convenience retail also show shopper divides. Data-driven store planning allows retailers to meet evolving expectations, maintain relevance, and maximise ROI across all channels.
Read how Primark selects CADS’ Retail Services for supply chain efficiencies.
Turn shopper behaviour into store performance
UK grocery shopper behaviour is diverging, but the commercial impact depends on how these insights are applied in-store. Retailers that translate shopper trends into store layouts, adjacencies, and formats are better positioned to improve performance across their estate.
CADS supports retail teams in turning these insights into practical, rollout-ready solutions, combining retail space planning, measured surveys, and design to ensure consistency and efficiency across every store.
Whether you are:
- reviewing underperforming stores
- planning new formats
- or rolling out change across your estate
our team provides the data, planning, and expertise to deliver results. Explore our case studies to see how we work with 3 of the top 6 UK grocery retailers.
How can we help you?
Make the most of your retail space with our comprehensive range of services
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