Germans Dominate Romania's EUR6B Retail Market

05.27.2011 ZF English

The top ten largest modern retail chains in Romania, a market dominated by German investors, posted EUR6.1 billion in turnover last year, according to ZF estimations, roughly the same as in 2009, despite having launched 50 new stores.

The ranking of the big chains was dominated from the beginning, over ten years ago, by players in two countries, France and Germany.

Things are no different at present, with 70% of last year's EUR6.1 billion market being accounted for by German players and about 25% by French companies. Also holding an important position in the top ten are Mega Image supermarkets, held by Belgian investors.

Apart from the top-ten chains, in Romania there are another five big modern retail chains, Billa (Rewe), Profi (Enterprise Investors), Macro (formerly Minimax - Dinu Patriciu), Interex (Groupement des Mousquetaires-ITM Enterprises), G'Market (Gimrom Holding).

The top-ten ranking in the retail sector remained unchanged last year compared with 2009, with Metro Cash&Carry (Germany), Carrefour (France) and Kaufland (Germany) in the top-three.

The ten largest retail chains had nearly 490 stores at the end of 2010 and over 50,000 employees.

The market leader, Metro Cash&Carry Romania, secured this position in time, being the first player in modern retail to enter the market in 1996. The second one was Billa, three years later.

Since then, new entries crowded the market, which currently accommodates 15 retail chains. Neither the market crowding nor the financial crisis managed to dethrone the German retailer, but the distance between Metro and Carrefour is narrower for the moment.

The turnover of Metro Cash&Carry has fallen by nearly EUR500 million since 2008 amid the crisis. Consumer spending fell 5% last year and continued to slide in the first three months of the year.

SOURCES: company data, Finance Ministry information, ZF estimates

* Carrefour sales include the sales of hypermarkets and those of Carrefour Market units;
** ZF estimations for 2010, based on data supplied by the company;
*** The 2010 value includes VAT