From the shopfloor: How to create customer loyalty beyond price competition

German hypermarket operator Globus has launched a new non-food collection branded around its long-established cult item made in the store’s own butchery, the Fleischkäsebrötchen (hot meat loaf in a bun). The themed textile range is explicitly framed under the label Fleischkäsekult (meat loaf cult) and referenced as a hashtag on social media.

At the shopping mall entrance, directly in front of the serviced counter selling the hot snack item, a mannequin dressed in a black leisure suit introduces the collection. The outfit carries a comic-style meat loaf emblem, acting as a visual anchor rather than a conventional brand logo. A sign directs shoppers to further merchandise inside the store.

Inside the market, an entire gondola end is dedicated to the #Fleischkäsekult range. The assortment includes leisurewear and accessories such as hoodies, jackets, retro shorts, caps, and house slippers. The presentation is coherent and clearly positioned as themed merchandise, not as a one-off promotional item.

The hot meat loaf in a bun is produced in Globus’ own in-house production areas and has been sold for years at a stable price of one euro, including throughout periods of high food inflation.

Comment

Sebastian Rennack
international retail analyst
Aletos Retail

Customer loyalty does not always need to be bought through ever-deeper discounts. In this case, it is anchored in a single item that consistently represents the retailer’s core strengths. Over time, the Fleischkäse-Brötchen has become a habitual purchase and a stable reference point for quality, price reliability, and the retailer’s deep integration of fresh production with food-service offers.

These attributes are not communicated through abstract marketing messages, but experienced directly on the shopfloor, most tangibly at the hot counter. By extending this cult item into merchandise, Globus translates operational credibility into a form of emotional attachment.

Strategically, this illustrates how large-area formats can differentiate beyond price. Rather than mimicking discounter mechanics, Globus leverages its strong food-service orientation and backward-integrated production to build trust, offer convenience, and create familiarity. The result is a loyalty mechanism rooted in competence, traditional craftsmanship and consistency.

Since the onset of inflation in 2022, Globus has consistently promoted its one-euro Fleischkäsebrötchen at the serviced counter

A mannequin wearing the Fleischkäsekult leisurewear is positioned directly in front of the hot counter in the mall

Inside the store, a dedicated gondola end presents the full Fleischkäsekult merchandise assortment

The textile range uses a comic-style meat loaf emblem and the hashtag #Fleischkäsekult as its central branding elements

The one-euro Fleischkäsebrötchen is prominently advertised at the store entrance as a fixed reference point

Additional signage reinforces the one-euro price positioning within the shopping mall area

In the meat department, customers can also purchase ready-to-cook  version of the meat loaf for preparation at home