For a long time, international expansion in retail has been treated like a game of Risk.
Launch in the UK -> Plant a flag in the US -> Add a few more countries to the map ->
Declare victory!
But in 2026, that mindset is quietly killing a lot of international growth strategies.
Because international expansion is no longer about where you can sell. It’s about where you can win, and win profitably.
The UK is slowing. The US is crowded, expensive, and operationally unforgiving. Customer acquisition costs are rising. Returns are rising. Regulatory and delivery complexity is rising.
And yet, many retailers are still measuring progress by how many new countries they’ve “launched”.
That’s not a strategy. That’s tourism.
The uncomfortable truth is this: being present in more markets does not automatically mean you are growing.
We’re seeing more and more retailers “live” in 10, 15, even 20 countries; and still struggling to make international a revenue driver.
Real growth doesn’t come from colouring in maps. It comes from:
- Choosing markets where demand, competition and economics actually stack up
- Choosing channels that can scale without exploding cost and complexity
- Choosing an operating model that doesn’t collapse under its own weight
The US Obsession (And Why It’s Becoming a Trap)
For UK retailers, the US has been the default answer to the growth question for over a decade.
It’s big. It’s familiar. It speaks English. It looks easy.
But it isn’t anymore.
As things stand, the US is now one of the most competitive, margin-compressive eCommerce markets in the world.
That doesn’t mean “don’t go to the US”. It means stop treating it like the only serious option.
Where Growth Is Actually Happening
Some of the healthiest international growth we’re seeing today isn’t coming from the loudest markets.
It’s coming from:
- Markets with strong demand but less saturation
- Regions where marketplaces are doing the heavy lifting on acquisition
- Countries where operational complexity is manageable if you design for it properly
But none of this shows up if your strategy is just: “Which country do we launch next?”
The better question is: “Which markets, channels and models give us the highest chance of profitable scale?“
The next phase of international growth in retail won’t be won by the brands in the most countries.
Join the Conversation
If this resonates, we’re going deeper in our upcoming webinar – “Where’s Left to Grow? How Retailers Can Win in New Global Markets”
We’ll explore:
- Which international markets are actually delivering growth today
- Which marketplaces are worth your time (and which aren’t)
- How to expand across multiple regions without creating an operational monster
- Why most international strategies stall — and what the smarter ones do differently
👉 Save your spot here.
