German market leader Edeka has strengthened its top position in the country by reporting a two per cent sales growth to €47.2 billion in 2014.
While the supermarket industry stagnated somewhat in Germany last year, Edeka's sales rise was driven by its independent retailers, which now total 4000 and generated revenues of €23.4 billion in 2014, up 3.6 per cent.
"We have continued the positive trend in 2014 and have grown much faster than the market," said Edeka CEO, Markus Mosa, whose company's total store count now stands at 11,492 with sales area of 10.64 million square metres and 336,100 staff employed, as of the end of 2014.
Edeka's discount arm Netto enjoyed a 2.2 per cent increase in sales to €12.0 billion in 2014.
Last year, Edeka opened 330 stores and renovated many others, creating 8,200 new jobs in the process.
Mosa said the results were also helped by the group’s investment of €1.7 billion on its production plants, store network and logistics.
The second largest retailer in Germany is the Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland), with an estimated €27.7 billion in sales, followed by the Rewe-Group with €27.6 billion.
Edeka is currently awaiting ministerial approval in relation to its protracted merger with Tengelmann's supermarket chain Kaiser's, after the German competition watchdog last month announced that it was to prevent the deal going ahead.
© 2014 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article written by Andrew Jennings.
