An electric charging station for electric vehicles is located in a parking lot next to a building and a green area under a sunny sky.; Copyright: Adobe Express

09.07.2025

Shopping and charging electric cars – what is becoming a convenient everyday activity for customers is a strategic decision with future potential for the retail sector.

The picture is now familiar in many supermarket parking lots: white markings, modern charging points but hardly any cars actually charging. According to the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), only around 14.5% of the approximately 134,000 public charging points across Germany are occupied at the same time. And yet retailers continue to invest heavily in charging infrastructure, but why?

How you benefit as a retailer

Strengthen customer loyalty – loading time = shopping time
Meet ESG requirements – make sustainability visible
No own risk – lease model as a simple solution
Increase real estate value – secure the future of locations

Mini guide: Your way to the charging station in 3 steps

check location: Is your parking lot affected (20+ parking spaces)?
select a partner: Energy supplier with all-round service saves effort
plan communication: actively inform customers about the charging option

Legal obligation meets strategic opportunity

A parking space is marked with a white symbol of an electric car and a charging plug on a blue paved surface; Copyright: Adobe Express

The expansion of charging infrastructure is no longer a voluntary service for retail companies. According to the German Building Electromobility Infrastructure Act, parking lots with more than 20 parking spaces have had to be equipped with at least one charging point since 2025. Even stricter requirements apply to new buildings and renovations. In addition, there is the EU EPBD Directive, which will further tighten the requirements for the overall efficiency of buildings from 2026. This is because electric car charging points improve the overall efficiency of buildings by promoting the switch to electromobility and making energy consumption more sustainable.

However, many retailers are going above and beyond the minimum legal requirements. 75% of companies had already installed charging points by the start of 2024, and the trend is rising. But where does this ambition come from?

E-mobility: customer loyalty and ESG goals as drivers

The motivation is obvious: while shopping in the supermarket is inviting, charging the e-car offers an additional incentive. According to a survey by the EHI Retail Institute, 77% of the retail companies surveyed cite customer loyalty as the main reason for setting up charging infrastructure. Added to this are ESG goals and positioning as a sustainable location.

ESG goals are strategic targets that companies set to improve their sustainability performance in the environmental, social and governance areas. These goals are often aligned with global standards such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help companies to meet sustainable practices, ethical standards and regulatory requirements.

EnBW, Pfalzwerke and other energy suppliers are already recording increasing utilization of the charging infrastructure. Even though the short-term boom has been slowed down by the end of the e-car subsidy in 2023, many expect the market to recover – and are investing counter-cyclically. This is because a fundamental structural shift away from combustion engines towards e-mobility is still expected in the long term.

Charging station operator models: lease instead of own operation

The majority of retailers do not operate the charging stations themselves. Instead, the parking space is leased to energy suppliers, a model that minimizes effort and risk. Rewe, for example, works with EnBW, Shell and Total Energies and does not operate its own charging infrastructure. Pfalzwerke also offers an “all-round carefree” package. Planning, construction and operation come from a single source. For the retail sector, this means additional services for customers and regular lease income.

Solutions and providers for electromobility

Electromobility is becoming increasingly important in the retail sector – whether in the form of charging infrastructure for customers or for a company's own logistics. You can find further solutions for energy efficiency and sustainability in the Energy Management, Building Technology and Environmental Engineering category.

To the exhibitors in the product category: electromobility

Long-term economic efficiency

Free charging was once upon a time. Almost all retailers now charge standard market fees for charging electricity. Kaufland, for example, offers a transparent pricing model. Additional offers such as discounts on charging, advertising space on displays or personalized customer contact are also in demand in the retail sector.

Alternating current (AC) enables normal charging, for example at home or at work. Direct current (DC) at public fast-charging stations charges electric cars faster. High Power Charging (HPC) stands for particularly powerful fast charging – ideal for on the go with a short charging time. The faster the charging method, the more complex and cost-intensive the infrastructure usually is.

Creating real added value with charging infrastructure

It is crucial that the charging infrastructure is also considered – not just as an obligation, but as part of a sustainable location strategy. Integration with PV systems, battery storage and load management reduces energy costs in the long term. At the same time, the ESG rating improves – a factor that should not be underestimated when competing for investors and employees.

Those who can recharge while shopping also like to come back

Even if the number of e-cars is currently stagnating in some countries, the mobility turnaround has not been canceled, only postponed. Retailers who build charging infrastructure with foresight today will secure long-term benefits: stronger customer loyalty, additional sources of income, sustainable energy supply and a positive image effect.

Sources: EHI: Whitepaper, Elektromobilitaet im Handel 2025, HDE: Whitepaper, Ladeinfrastruktur im Einzelhandel (Aktuelle Hemmnisse & mögliche Lösungsvorschläge), Kaufland Service-Info zu E-Ladesäulen, Lebensmittel Praxis, Ausgabe 4_2025, BDEW-Elektromobilitätsmonitor

Portrait of Sandra Katzenberger, member of the EuroShop editorial team, with long, wavy, dark blonde hair and a friendly look; copyright: beta-web GmbH

The portrait was AI-generated.

Author: Sandra Katzenberger | EuroShop.mag

As part of the EuroShop editorial team, Sandra Katzenberger contributes her many years of experience in the retail sector and looks at current developments and future trends in the retail world with a trained eye. Whether it's smart technologies, sustainable store concepts or innovative shopping experiences – her goal: to provide up-to-date, relevant and inspiring content for the global retail community.