We got married. We got divorced. But I am not sure we ever really understood each other.
I am talking about us and Europe, by the way.
This is not a Brexit article. I am not here to rehash the politics or the trade challenges. But I do think Brexit was a symptom of something deeper: we never truly got Europe. And Europe never truly got us.
And if you are a British brand looking at Europe as your next big growth opportunity, that misunderstanding could cost you everything.
The myth of “Europe”
Here is what I hear all the time: “If we can crack Europe, imagine the scale. Hundreds of millions of consumers. One strategy. Massive returns.”
It sounds logical. It is also completely wrong.
Europe is not a market. It is a continent of wildly different countries that happen to share a landmass and, in some cases, a currency. That is where the similarities end.
I learned this the hard way.
What Zalando taught me
When I was VP of Womenswear at Zalando, I managed 27 markets across Europe. It was one of the most fascinating, frustrating, and eye-opening experiences of my career.
Every week brought a new lesson in just how different these markets really are.
In Italy, customers were terrified to return items. Not because they did not want to, but because they genuinely did not trust they would get their money back. The concept of easy returns, which we take for granted in the UK, felt like a risk to them.
In Germany, the expectation was the opposite. Customers wanted precision, efficiency, and convenience. “Deliver this to me while I am sitting in a coffee shop” was not a luxury request. It was the baseline.
The Nordics cared deeply about sustainability. They would pay more, but only if they believed you meant it.
Southern Europe was emotionally led. Eastern Europe was price-driven but brand-aspirational.
Same continent. Completely different customers.
Even the “blocks” are not blocks
People love to talk about DACH, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, as if it is one market. Geographically close. German-speaking. Surely they are basically the same?
They are not.
Germany is rational, direct, and efficiency-obsessed. Austria has a softer, more traditional sensibility. Switzerland? Wealthy, precise, and expects a level of quality that most brands cannot deliver.
Treating DACH as one market is like treating England, Scotland, and Wales as identical because they share an island. You would not do that. So why do it with Europe?
The real cost of getting it wrong
I have watched brands launch into Europe with huge ambition and generic execution. They translate their website, set up a distribution centre, and wait for the orders to roll in.
They do not.
Because the Italian customer needed reassurance you were not going to steal their money. The German customer needed delivery options you had not built. The Spanish customer wanted to feel something your brand was not saying.
One strategy. Fifteen markets. Fifteen ways to fail.
My advice: go narrow, go deep
If you are serious about Europe, here is what I would say:
1. Do your research properly.
Not desktop research. Real research. Go there. Talk to customers. Understand what trust looks like in that market, what value means, what they expect from brands like yours.
2. Be honest about alignment.
Not every market is right for your brand. Your price point, your aesthetic, your values. They will resonate in some places and fall flat in others. That is fine. Pick the markets where there is genuine alignment.
3. Start with one or two markets. Do them brilliantly.
Forget the land grab. Forget the “European rollout.” Pick one or two countries where you can genuinely win, and execute so well that you become known there. Then expand from a position of strength.
4. Localise everything.
Not just language. Tone. Imagery. Payment methods. Delivery expectations. Customer service style. If it feels like a British brand that has been translated, you have already lost.
The opportunity is real. But so is the complexity.
Europe is not a shortcut to scale. It is a collection of unique markets, each with its own culture, expectations, and ways of building trust.
The brands that win there are the ones that respect that complexity. The ones that fail are the ones that see “400 million consumers” and assume one size fits all.
We got divorced from Europe. But maybe, if we want to do business there, we should finally take the time to understand it.
And don’t even get me started on the weather. I am British, after all. But trying to sell the same collection to Stockholm in November and Rome in November? One is buried in snow, the other is still debating whether to bring a jacket. Even the weather refuses to let Europe be one market.
