Top 10 Supermarket Retail Chains In Czechia

Updated January 12, 2024 3:58 PM By Steve Wynne-Jones

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Top 10 Supermarket Retail Chains In Czechia

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Czechia reported the highest inflation rate in the European Union in November, at 8.0%, data from Eurostat showed recently, and while this rate has more than halved since the same month a year ago (when it stood at 17.2%), it continues to weigh on consumers, who are seeing food prices in selected categories continue to increase.

According to the Czech statistics office (CZSO), the price of vegetables was up 2.6% in November 2023, compared to the previous month, while fruit was 3.1% higher, smoked meat and sausages saw a 0.9% increase, oils and fats were up 1.8% and cheese and curd was up 0.6%.

However, some products have seen a decrease – the price of pork was 5.7% lower, eggs were down 11.7%, poultry saw a 2.5% drop in prices, and bread was down 0.8%.

Year-on-year growth in consumer prices was 7.3% in November, which was 1.2 percentage points lower than October.

As a result of consistently high prices, retail sales have continued to slide – October saw the 18th consecutive month of retail sales decline on a year-on-year basis – although a month-on-month comparison indicted a 0.6 percentage point increase.

"Czechs simply aren’t spending, and even Christmas hasn’t changed that yet,” analyst Tomáš Volf of Citfin was quoted by Czech Daily as saying in December.

Here's an overview of the top ten supermarket retail chains in Czechia, according to their most recently-available full-year turnover. All data is supplied by Retail-Index.

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1. Lidl
Turnover: €2.9 billion (2021)

With a turnover of €2.9 billion (as of 2021) and currently boasting 267 outlets, discounter Lidl holds the title of the biggest supermarket retail chain in the Czech Republic. The Schwarz Group-owned retailer has had a presence in the country since 2003.

2. REWE
Turnover: €2.8 billion (2021)

REWE is a German supermarket retail chain that operates under two banners - Billa and Penny. With a turnover of €2.8 billion in 2021 and currently boasting 658 outlets, it is the second-largest supermarket retail chain in the Czech Republic. It has had a presence in the country since 1991.

3. Kaufland
Turnover: €2.6 billion (2022)

A sister retailer to Lidl, hypermarket chain Kaufland boasted turnover of €2.6 billion in 2022, and currently has 141 outlets. The Schwarz Group-owned banner has had a presence in the country since 1997.

4. Ahold Delhaize
Turnover: €2.4 billion (2021)

Ahold Delhaize operates in the Czech Republic under the Albert banner. With a turnover of €2.4 billion (as of 2021) and currently boasting 336 outlets, it is the fourth-largest supermarket retail chain in the country. Ahold Delhaize has had a presence in the country since 1991.

5. Tesco
Turnover: €1.7 billion (2022)

British retailer Tesco has had a presence in Czechia since 1992, and operates stores under three banners, Tesco, Tesco Express, and Tesco Extra. The retailer reported a turnover of €1.7 billion in 2022, and currently has 190 outlets in the country, including a number of forecourt outlets.

6. Makro
Turnover: €1 billion (2021)

Makro is a Czech cash and carry chain operated by Germany's Metro AG. It has had a presence in Czechia since 1997, reporting a turnover of €1 billion in 2021. It currently operates out of 12 outlets, one less than last year.

7. Globus
Turnover: €995 million (2022)

Globus is a German hypermarket chain that operates in the Czech Republic under the Globus SB Market banner. With a turnover of €995 million (in 2022) and 16 outlets (as of this year), it is the seventh-largest supermarket retail chain in the country. It has had a presence in the country since 1996.

8. JIP
Turnover: €520 million (2021)

JIP is a Czech supermarket retail chain that operates under two banners – JIP and JIP Cash & Carry. It reported a turnover of €520 million in 2021, and currently operates out of 42 locations, of which 28 are retail stores, and 14 cash-and-carry outlets.

9. Coop
Turnover: €353 million (2021)

Cooperative retailer Coop operates under four banners in Czechia: Coop Diskont, Coop Tuty, Terno, and Tip. The group reported a turnover of €353 million in 2021, and had 1,957 outlets as of last year.

10. Norma
Turnover: €99 million (2021)

In tenth place, Norma is owned by the German group of the same name. The group reported a turnover of €99 million in 2021, and currently has around 50 outlets across the country.

Other retailers of note include Bala, which operates under the Bala and Bala gastro banners (and has more than 1,200 outlets); CBA, part of the Hungarian chain of the same name, which has around 1,000 stores in the country, and Hruška, which boasts 537 outlets as of this year.

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.