Globus hypermarkets leverage their own production expertise

By: Rennack Sebastian Date: 2025. 01. 29. 09:13

German Globus hypermarkets are holding their own in a grocery market dominated by price-wars among discounters and large supermarket operators. Despite a consumer shift away from hypermarkets and a low single-digit market share, the Globus Market Hall concept successfully differentiates itself from aggressive low-cost competitors such as Aldi and Lidl, as well as from strong full-range operators Edeka and Rewe.

In its home market, Globus operates 65 stores nationwide with an average selling space of more than 10,000 square meters – twice as big as channel competitor Kaufland with its 770 superstores that on average measure sales areas of around 4,500 sqm. The assortment of Globus stores reaches 70,000 SKUs over the year, a significantly larger assortment than Kaufland Germany’s largest module of 30,000 SKUs.

According to data from the EHI Retail Institute, German Globus hypermarkets generated net sales of €3.4 billion in fiscal year 2023/2024, or around €50 million net sales per store. For business year 2023/2024 (end of June), the Globus Group announced the “best results” since the company was founded for so-called core group hypermarkets that have been in operation for more than three years.

A key factor in Globus’ competitive strength is its unrivalled in-house production expertise for fresh produce. Globus operates its own in-store butcher shops, bakeries and delicatessen kitchens, which also supply the in-store dining and bistro areas. Each local hypermarket’s kitchen chef creates their own regionally inspired menus to drive traffic through the culinary offerings.

The focus is on freshness, service quality and store atmosphere. Price communication is kept to a minimal level. With traditional restaurants in Germany focusing more and more on the dinner experience, away from lunch meal deals, Globus increasingly highlights its convenient breakfast and lunch offers to generate customer frequency.

In front of the store, Globus advertises daily changing lunch deals, prepared in-house and served in the in-store restaurant. One weekly meal deal is always offered at a budget price point of €5

Inside the building, still in front of the store entrance, the ‘Snackinsel’ (snack island) with an adjacent bistro area offers sandwiches, pastries, and coffee, all produced in-house. The coffee is roasted in the in-store roastery.

The fruit and vegetable section is located just behind the barrier-free store entrance, showcasing one of the largest organic fruit and vegetable selections among German grocers.

At this point, Globus highlights its total organic range, offering up to 4,000 SKUs across the entire assortment.

During harvesting season regional farmers showcase their produce in specially designated promotional spaces.

The in-store full-cycle bakery focuses on multi-pack bread rolls, snacks, and pastries. Aligning with the growing convenience trend, customers can purchase ready-to-bake bread rolls freshly prepared in the store.

The range of pastries, desserts, and cakes from in-house production surpasses that of any specialized patisserie in the vicinity, making it one of the store’s key customer magnets.

In the fresh departments, Globus emphasizes value for money by showcasing individual products made according to traditional recipes at permanent low-prices, such as German cheesecake shown here.

In-house production capabilities also enable quick responses to market trends, as seen with this advertisement for latest Dubai-style pastry items.

In the self-service meat section, Globus highlights its in-house production process to differentiate itself from much larger discount rivals and channel competitor Kaufland who generally does not operate own production areas in-store.

As a product innovation, Globus offers its nationally renowned meatloaf, with iconic status, for home preparation.

The serviced meat counters offer the largest assortment of meat and poultry in Germany, including year-round barbecue items and specialty meats.

At the sausage counter children can sample Wiener sausages from own production.

In the center of the store, the in-store dining area with 100 seats is located. Mothers with toddlers who dine here, can receive baby food for free.

Pizza is prepared in an authentic stone-built pizza oven in the open kitchen island at the center of the store. Recently, Globus also introduced a grill station for Döner Kebab popular in Germany, available for in-house consumption or takeaway.

In the wine department, two posters feature the wines of the month. One recommendation comes from Globus employees, while the other – slightly more expensive alternative – is from the Globus owner family.

“Life is too short to drink bad wine” is the motto at the adjacent wine counter, where customers can sample wines.

The walk-in wine cooler displays one of the largest selections of high-quality wines in the region.

‘Gutes von hier’ (good from here) is the regional label that identifies all products produced within 40 km of the store.

The ambient assortment offers the largest selection of products at any grocer in the German market. Overall, Globus stores stocks nearly 80,000 items across approximately 10,000 sqm of sales area on average.

Globus is part of the Markant trade group, that unites 200 retailers worldwide. To remain price-competitive despite its relatively small market share, Globus offers the Markant price-entry assortment under the ‘Jeden Tag’ (Every Day) label.

Globus offers a low-price guarantee for promotional items featured in the leaflet. If a competitor in the region offers the same item at a lower price during the promotional period, Globus customers pay only the lower price.

The non-food section occupies more than one-third of the store space, with key departments including home textiles, kitchen accessories and health and beauty.