In 2024, two European directives changed the game for businesses on the continent. The CSRD now requires large organizations to publish standardized sustainability reports, with specific indicators and external audits. It is no longer a voluntary commitment; it is an accounting obligation.
At the same time, physical retail in France lost about 200,000 m² of large retail space over the year. These two signals, one regulatory and the other structural, summarize well the landscape in which businesses have had to navigate.
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Non-financial reporting in Europe: what the CSRD changes for businesses
Until 2023, CSR reports remained largely declarative. Each company chose its indicators, without a common framework or independent verification. The CSRD directive now imposes a unique framework and external audits.
In practical terms, large European companies must now apply the principle of double materiality. This means they report both on the impact of their activities on the environment and on the impact of environmental risks on their finances. Both directions are covered.
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The first compliant reports are expected in 2025, based on the 2024 fiscal year. For accounting and legal teams, this represents a massive data collection project. SMEs are not yet directly affected, but those supplying large groups must already provide certain information to feed their clients’ reports. Following business news on Full Press allows one to gauge how these new obligations are spreading through the French economic fabric.
The CSDDD directive, adopted the same year, adds an additional layer. It imposes a duty of vigilance across the entire value chain on large groups, covering human rights and the environment. The implementation timeline is staggered, but purchasing departments are already integrating these requirements into their tenders.
Decline of large retail spaces in France: a shift in physical commerce
Have you noticed store closures in your shopping area this year? It’s not a local coincidence. About 200,000 m² of large retail space disappeared in France in 2024.
This decline does not indicate a collapse of physical commerce as a whole. It signals a reconfiguration. Generalist hypermarkets are losing ground to two converging forces:
- Specialized brands (bargain, DIY, organic food) are attracting customers looking for targeted offerings rather than a vast assortment.
- Online commerce continues to nibble away at sales of standardized products, those for which shopping in-store does not add value.
- More compact formats, in city centers or nearby suburbs, are more appealing than large isolated boxes in commercial zones.
Some of these lost spaces are simply changing use. Former retail spaces are becoming order preparation warehouses for drive or delivery services. Others are being converted into mixed-use premises. The large retail market is restructuring, and consumer trends are accelerating this movement.
Customer data and marketing in 2024: the end of approximate management
The use of artificial intelligence in marketing reached a new level in 2024. Not in the spectacular sense often imagined (robots creating campaigns on their own), but in a more down-to-earth sense: predictive analysis of customer data has become accessible to medium-sized businesses.
Let’s take a simple example. An online clothing brand collects purchase histories, abandoned carts, and viewed pages. In 2023, this data was used to send segmented promotional emails. In 2024, AI tools allow predicting which product a customer is likely to buy in the next two weeks and adjusting the website display in real time.
What this changes for sales channels
Personalization is no longer limited to the website. Companies selling across multiple channels (physical store, mobile app, marketplace) use these models to unify the customer experience regardless of the touchpoint. A consumer who views a product on mobile receives a coherent follow-up in-store, not a generic unrelated promotion.
Customer service is evolving in the same direction. The chatbots of 2024 no longer just answer frequently asked questions. They access the customer’s purchase history and offer contextualized solutions. The boundary between marketing communication and after-sales service becomes blurred, and this is intentional.
Second-hand and circular economy: trends turned into fully-fledged markets
The second-hand market has ceased to be a marginal phenomenon. In 2024, second-hand goods are reaching segments that were previously out of reach, including luxury items.
Two main reasons explain this shift. First, consumers, especially younger ones, view buying second-hand as a normal act, not a compromise. Second, margins on second-hand items sometimes exceed those of new products for brands that master the logistics of refurbishment.
Second-hand shopping is not limited to clothing. Refurbished electronics, furniture, and sports equipment are following the same trajectory. Companies that integrate this channel into their sales strategy are no longer doing so solely out of ecological conviction but because market demand requires it.
The reporting mandated by the CSRD also pushes in this direction. Displaying credible circularity indicators becomes a commercial argument with professional clients, not just a compliance exercise. In 2024, sustainability translates concretely into a budget item, a sales channel, and a legal obligation that companies manage simultaneously.