German retailer Globus has reported a sales growth of 3.2% to €7.95 billion in its financial year ended July 2020, with EBIT amounting to €284 million.
Globus hypermarkets in Germany generated sales worth €3.38 billion in this period, up 0.3% year-on-year, driven by a change in consumer behaviour due to the pandemic.
Jochen Baab, spokesperson for the Globus SB-Warenhaus, explained, "The trend is towards 'one-stop shopping', weekly shopping and home cooking, which is reflected in the size of the average shopping cart and a low shopping frequency, especially during the lockdown.”
"Our customers have also recognised the fact that we were able to quickly implement the strict hygiene measures […] and ensure necessary [social distancing] at all times."
Other Divisions
The retailer’s specialty stores saw a 5.1% growth to close the financial year with a turnover of €1.94 billion.
DIY stores saw more targeted purchases, reflecting a change in customer behaviour due to the pandemic.
"The DIY store customer wants to have problems solved, to be advised and to implement his projects", added Timo Huwer, spokesperson for the management of Globus specialty stores
Globus hypermarkets in Russia grew by 9.6% to RUB117.28 billion in the financial year, while sales in its Czech hypermarkets remained stable at €1.06 billion (+0.1%).
Matthias Bruch, managing partner of Globus Holding, commented, “In the past few months we have proven that we can master turbulent times well and even emerge stronger than before," emphasizes.
“It is now a matter of investing in future viability and further development of our customer services. Many developments, especially in the digital area, have experienced an enormous acceleration due to [Coronavirus].”
Digital Services
The retailer also benefited from the expansion of its digital services.
Customers can create digital shopping lists from the product catalogue on its website and preorder items such as sushi, cheese, fish and antipasto platters or gift baskets.
In addition to a contactless payment service, Globus introduced the option of paying via Apple Pay and Google Pay last autumn.
The retailer has also rolled out the ‘Scan & Go’ self-scanning system in around 44 stores.
In early October, Globus introduced the ‘Scan & Go Mobile’ service in Saarland. It is planning to roll out the service in other markets.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
