The Rewe-owned Billa chain of supermarkets saw its sales grow to Kc20.1 billion and its profits rise from Kc115.6m in 2008 to Kc357.6m for 2009. The operator, which has just under 200 stores in the Czech Republic, attributed some of the growth to the addition of 23 stores to its portfolio last year.
In late 2007, Billa increased its numbers significantly, taking over 97 supermarkets from operator Delvita, who subsequently left the Czech market.
Rewe also operates Penny Markt in the Czech Republic, which combined with Billa, had sales of Kc48.5 billion in 2009, making it the second largest supermarket operator in the country. Schwarz Group, with sales of Kc59 billion last year, is the largest. (27 Sept)© 2010 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine
