The Austrian retail sector has had to face no shortage of challenges during 2023, most significant of which has been a stubbornly high inflation rate, which stood at 5.4% in October 2023.
While this is less than half of what it was at the start of the year, grocery prices have remained high – food prices were 6.8% higher, year-on-year, in October, while non-alcoholic beverages were 11.1% higher. Reductions in electricity prices (-12.3%) have provided some respite, however.
The Austrian retail sector had to cope with an inflation-adjusted decline in sales of 4% in the third quarter of 2023. In the food trade the decline was 0.4%, while the non-food trade recorded a decline of 6.8%.
The latest data confirms the trade associations forecast for 2023 as a whole, as domestic trade continues to suffer as a result of inflation. "Overall, demand in retail set to shrink significantly this year, by 3.9%," commented Rainer Will, managing director of Handelsverband Österreich, the Austrian retail association. "In some retail sectors we are even assuming an inflation-adjusted decline of more than 10%. Online retail will also suffer significant losses again in 2023; we expect a price-adjusted decline of 9.3%."
Here's an overview of the top ten supermarket retail chains in Austria, according to their most recently-available full-year turnover. All data is supplied by Retail-Index.
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1. REWE
Turnover: €9.57 billion (2022)
REWE is the largest supermarket retail chain in Austria, with a turnover of €9.57 billion in 2022. The company operates under several banners, including ADEG, Billa, BIPA, Merkur, Penny, and Sutterlüty, and has a network of 2,521 stores across the country.
Read More: New Billa Corso Opens At Vienna Airport
2. SPAR
Turnover: €9 billion (2022)
SPAR is the second-largest supermarket retail chain in Austria with a turnover of €9 billion in 2022. The company operates under several banners, including EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR, SPAR Express, SPAR Gourmet, and SPAR Markt. SPAR has 1,495 outlets in Austria.
Read More: SPAR Austria Appoints Hans K Reisch As New Chief Executive
3. Hofer (Aldi)
Turnover: €4.4 billion (2021)
Hofer, owned by the German supermarket chain Aldi, is the third-largest supermarket retail chain in Austria, reporting a turnover of €4.4 billion in 2021. Established in 1968, Hofer has 530 outlets across Austria.
Read More: Austria's Hofer Announces Management Changes
4. Lidl
Turnover: €1.5 billion (2021)
Lidl is the fourth-largest supermarket retail chain in Austria with a turnover of €1.5 billion in 2021. The discounter boasts a network of 250 stores across Austria.
5. Mpreis
Turnover: €990 million (2022)
Mpreis is a regional supermarket retail chain in Austria with a turnover of €990 million as of 2022. The company has a network of 279 stores across the Tyrol region.
6. Metro C&C
Turnover: €846 million (2022)
Metro C&C is a wholesale operator with a turnover of €846 million in 2022. The company operates under the Metro banner and has 12 stores across the country.
Read More: Metro Austria Names Angela Wider As Managing Director Of Purchasing
7. Eurogast
Turnover: €500 million (2022)
Eurogast is a cooperative supermarket retail chain in Austria with a turnover of €500 million as of 2022. The company has 19 stores across the country.
8. Handelshaus Wedl
Turnover: €330 million (2022 - estimated)
Handelshaus Wedl is a wholesale and retail supermarket chain in Austria with an estimated turnover of €330 million as of 2022. The company operates under the C+C Wedl and Nah & Frisch banners and has 400 stores across the country.
9. Kastner
Turnover: €268 million (2022)
Kastner is a regional supermarket retail chain in Austria with a turnover of €268 million as of 2022. The company operates under the Abholmarkt, Nah & Frisch, and Real banners and has eight stores across Upper Austria.
10. Unimarkt
Turnover: €235 million (2022)
Part of the Pfeiffer Group, Unimarkt boasts a turnover of €235 million, as of 2022. The company operates under the C+C Pfeiffer, Unimarkt, and Zielpunkt banners and has 133 stores across Upper Austria.
Other notable supermarket chains in Austria include Julius Kiennast; organic chain Denn's Biomarkt; Basic Bio fur Alle, another organic chain; Etsan, which has 32 stores across Austria; and Norma, a pan-European chain that has 21 stores across the country.
About Retail-Index
Retail-Index is a specialist supplier of management information on consumer retail markets, provided by Veraart Research Group in the Netherlands. Its mission is to supply managers with up-to-date key information on retail markets in Europe and support them in their international expansion.
The company dates back to 1964, when it started as a market research and marketing consulting company for consumer products and services. In 1989, it started publishing written reports on various retail sectors in Europe. As of 2005, it publishes its information on retailers through the online database and curated datasheet exports available on www.retail-index.com. A team of researchers manages the data to reflect upon current developments in the markets, collected from an extensive number of sources.
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© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
