Germany's Schwarz Group, which owns the Lidl and Kaufland brands, reported sales of €133.6 billion across its operations in 2021, up from €125.3 billion the previous year.
The group, which boasts 13,300 branches and more than half a million employees, said that its Lidl and Kaufland retail divisions 'demonstrated their high performance and agility even in challenging times'.
Lidl And Kaufland
At Lidl, sales were up 4.7% to €100.8 billion, while Kaufland reported a 7.4% increase to €27.3 billion.
Online sales at the group totalled €1.7 billion last year, while its environmental division PreZero saw sales rise €0.7 billion to €2.1 billion for the year, boosted by the acquisition of parts of Suez and Ferrovial.
The group invested some €8 billion in its operations last year, which was predominantly earmarked for store expansion, branch modernisation and the continued digitalisation of its operations.
The reporting date for Schwarz Group's full year results is 28 February.
Read More: Schwarz Group Increases Recycling Target For Private-Label Packaging
E-Charging Network
Earlier this month, Schwarz Group announced that by the end of its 2022 financial year, it will have established some 6,200 new e-charging points across its retail network.
This means that the group will now operate some 13,000 e-charging points at its stores.
"In expanding the e-charging infrastructure, the trading company draws on its many years of expertise in this area and at the same time relies on a newly developed e-charging station with fast charging technology," it said.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest Retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
