Magazine: Schwarz Group Dominates European Retail

As in the previous year, German Schwarz Group leads the ranking. With a gross sales plus on company level of 6.3 percent it reached a 7 percent market share in LZ Retailytics’ European retail universe in 2018.

Sebastian Rennack
Retail Intelligence
and Advisory
LZ Retailytics

Lead banner Lidl registered a massive sales increase of more than 8 percent to EUR 87.5 billion. Multi-format operator Carrefour takes second place, losing 1.3 percent of revenue in comparison to last year, while still consolidating its network, closing more than 200 stores in 2018.The third in line, Aldi, grows by a convincing 5.5 percent.

As the biggest change in the Top 15 Ranking Metro AG lost three places, falling from position 6 to 9, owed to the fact, that the revenue from the former electronics and media branch now is not included in the retailer’s revenues anymore. As an outlook for this year, the following developments will stir up the top of European retail in 2019: Metro AG is in the process of selling its ailing Real Hypermarket operations in Germany. At the same time Rewe Group announced intentions to buy convenience-oriented wholesaler Lekkerland. Auchan is in the process of selling the majority of its store network in Italy to Conad.

About LZ Retailytics LZ Retailytics is the international retail analyst unit of German Lebensmittel Zeitung (LZ) supporting the grocery retail and consumer goods industries with relevant information, data and analysis to facilitate business planning and decision making.

Author: Sebastian Rennack covers the CEE & Balkan markets at LZ Retailytics. //