Wholesaler Metro Reports Growth In Full-Year Sales And Profitability

The company saw sales growth of 5.8% on a currency- and portfolio-adjusted basis, to €32.4 billion, ESM Magazine reports.

EBITDA for the full year increased by 8.6%, to €1.2 billion, exceeding expectations.

Excluding Germany, the company saw growth across all channels and regions on a currency- and portfolio-adjusted basis, further consolidating its market position.

It added that it plans to focus on productivity and profitability, following an acceleration in sales growth.

Dr Steffen Greubel, CEO of Metro AG, stated, “Metro is now more focused, efficient, and clearly positioned than ever before. The combination of stores, delivery, online marketplace, and digital service offerings creates an ecosystem that holistically meets customer needs in a growing, fragmented market.

“Our multichannel business model demonstrates what the future of wholesale looks like, and with our clear direction, we continued our sales growth in the past financial year. Our operational EBITDA has also risen significantly, paving the way for further growth investments. We are addressing the right priorities, and at the top of our list for all initiatives is always one thing: customer satisfaction.”

Annual Highlights

Metro’s store-based business in the wholesale segment reported growth of 3% during the financial year, driven in part by its ‘Buy More Pay Less’ tiered pricing and extensive range of ultra-fresh products.

The delivery business saw double-digit growth of 14%, making it the primary driver of Metro’s multichannel model.

Online sales increased by 19%, primarily due to the growing sales on online B2B marketplace Metro Markets.

The company’s focus on its wholesale, delivery and digital channels resulted in significant progress in its performance, in terms of strategic sCore success indicators.

Sales from strategic customers accounted for 77%, stock availability reached 97%, and Metro increased its share of own-brand sales to 26%, driven by its Year of Own Brand initiative.

The share of FSD (Food Service Distribution) sales rose to 28% of total annual sales (compared to 17% before the implementation of the sCore strategy), while the share of digital revenue increased to 16% (compared to 6% before the implementation of the sCore strategy).

In addition, sales from ultra-fresh products, which are particularly targeted at the HoReCa customer segment, rose from €5 billion in full-year 2021 to €8 billion in 2025.

Greubel stated, “We are pleased with the progress we have made. Our figures, the quality of our organisation, and the satisfaction of our customers show that we took the right path in 2022 and have been consistently working towards our goals ever since.

“The efforts have paid off, however, we are not resting on our laurels and have set ambitious goals for the coming financial year. For example, in the Year of Ultra Fresh, we aim to achieve an additional €1 billion in sales in this crucial area for our customers.”

Outlook

Metro’s management board expects overall sales growth of 3-6% in its 2025/26 financial year, on a currency- and portfolio-adjusted basis.

The company has also projected an increase in adjusted EBITDA sales of €50-150 million, compared to the 2024/25 financial year.

The wholesale giant added that sales growth driven by the implementation of its sCore strategy generally contributes to EBITDA growth. It also expects to benefit from cost-efficiency measures.