Which are Germany's biggest supermarket groups?

EDEKA, REWE Group, Schwarz Group and the two ALDI businesses are Germany's leading grocery retail systems. The familiar store signs, however, do not map neatly to independent parent companies. Lidl and Kaufland share Schwarz Group. REWE and PENNY share REWE Group. Netto Marken-Discount belongs to the EDEKA network. ALDI Nord and ALDI SÜD are separate businesses with different German territories.

The official sources used here report sales on different bases, so their figures cannot form a like-for-like German grocery sales ranking. This guide therefore compares official store footprints, formats and ownership, then labels every revenue figure by its actual reporting scope. It was researched on September 14, 2026.

Germany supermarket groups compared

Major German grocery retail systems and their reported scope
Group or businessGermany footprintLatest reported sales scope used hereBanners, formats and structure
EDEKA Group10,871 markets in 2025 across the group; around 3,200 independent EDEKA retailers.€77.3bn 2025 group turnover. This is group-wide turnover, not a like-for-like supermarket sales figure.EDEKA supermarkets and larger formats, regional cooperatives, independent retailers and Netto Marken-Discount. 2025 report
REWE Group, Retail GermanyAround 6,000 REWE, PENNY and nahkauf stores in Germany; REWE says around 3,800 stores carry its name.€42.5bn external revenue for Retail Germany in 2025: €32.4bn for REWE full-range stores and €9.9bn for PENNY Germany.Full-range supermarkets, neighbourhood stores, convenience and discount. Company-operated and independent REWE retailers use the banner. 2025 results
Schwarz GroupMore than 3,250 Lidl stores and 790 Kaufland stores in Germany in fiscal 2025.Lidl reported €140.2bn and Kaufland €36.7bn store revenue worldwide. These are not Germany-only sales.Lidl is a discount format; Kaufland is a large-format food retailer. They need separate banner and category assessments. Fiscal 2025
ALDI NordAround 2,200 stores across western, northern and eastern Germany, stated in February 2026.No current, comparable Germany sales figure used here.Discount stores supported by regional companies in the ALDI Nord territory. Germany footprint
ALDI SÜDAround 2,000 stores in western and southern Germany on its current company page.No current, comparable Germany sales figure used here.Discount stores in the ALDI SÜD territory. Its assortment is heavily weighted to exclusive own brands. Company overview
GLOBUS MarkthallenMore than 60 Markthallen in Germany on the current company profile.No comparable German grocery sales figure used here.Family-owned, large-format stores with broad assortments, onsite production and a stated focus on local decision-making. Company profile

The table is a structure and scale comparison, not a normalized ranking. EDEKA's group turnover, REWE's Retail Germany revenue and Schwarz Group's worldwide banner revenue have different boundaries. ALDI's private ownership also limits like-for-like public reporting.

EDEKA is a cooperative system, not one uniform store chain

EDEKA's 2025 Corporate Report describes three levels: independent retailers, regional wholesalers and EDEKA headquarters. Around 3,200 independent retailers form the entrepreneurial base. This structure matters because the name above the door does not prove that every assortment decision is made by one national office.

The group includes several store sizes under EDEKA banners as well as Netto Marken-Discount. EDEKA's 2025 report lists 4,433 Netto stores and €17.9bn in total sales. Those stores are already inside the EDEKA system and should not be added again when comparing parent groups. EDEKA reporting scope.

For a supplier, the practical question is where the category and proposed scope are bought: national private label, a regional company, an independent retailer or Netto. Regional products can suit a different route from a national own-label range.

REWE Group combines full-range, discount and independent retailers

REWE Group's Retail Germany segment includes the REWE full-range business and PENNY discount stores. The group's company overview says around 6,000 stores in Germany operate as REWE, PENNY or nahkauf. REWE itself describes around 3,800 stores, ranging from neighbourhood supermarkets and REWE To Go to larger REWE Center locations. Some are company-operated and others are run by independent retailers. REWE formats.

In 2025, 1,620 independent REWE retailers generated €20.4bn, according to the group's results. That does not mean every buyer decision is local. It does show why a supplier must distinguish central range decisions, regional opportunities and store-level execution. PENNY is a separate discount proposition with its own assortment and formats.

Lidl and Kaufland share a parent but not a store format

Schwarz Group reports both Lidl and Kaufland, but suppliers should not treat them as interchangeable. Lidl runs a discount model with a more concentrated assortment. Kaufland operates large food retail stores with broader ranges and branded as well as own-label merchandise.

The group's fiscal 2025 page gives useful German store counts, but its revenue disclosures for Lidl and Kaufland cover their worldwide operations. Presenting €140.2bn as Lidl Germany sales or €36.7bn as Kaufland Germany sales would be incorrect. Schwarz Group reporting scope.

Kaufland publishes a prospective merchandise supplier route. Lidl publishes food product-development guidance, but the guide is not a public product-application route. See the Germany private-label route table for the distinction.

ALDI Nord and ALDI SÜD are separate German targets

ALDI's brand is divided between two operating businesses in Germany. ALDI Nord covers western, northern and eastern Germany. ALDI SÜD describes its footprint as western and southern Germany. Their store totals cannot be used as evidence of one shared buying process.

ALDI SÜD says around 90 percent of its assortment consists of exclusive own brands and publishes a prospective-supplier application. This makes manufacturing capability central to its proposition, but it does not establish that any specific category is open. ALDI Nord's assortment and supplier route must be checked separately.

GLOBUS adds large format and local autonomy

GLOBUS Markthallen is far smaller by store count than the four leading systems, yet its format is distinct. The company says each German Markthalle offers roughly 50,000 to 100,000 products, uses onsite food production and makes decisions locally. Its June 2026 management announcement also describes the stores as local heroes with locally tailored assortments. GLOBUS announcement.

A broad large-format assortment can create a different category opportunity from a discount store. The relevant comparison is the shelf, shopper and buying route, not store count alone.

Other grocery formats need their own comparison

Germany also has regional supermarkets, organic specialists, convenience stores, cash-and-carry businesses and drugstores with meaningful food ranges. tegut, NORMA, denn's Biomarkt, Alnatura, dm and Rossmann may belong on a category-specific shortlist, but they are not interchangeable with the supermarket groups above. A drugstore's household and personal-care footprint, for example, should not be used as a supermarket sales ranking.

METRO is also a separate route because its core format serves professional customers rather than household grocery shoppers. Compare it within wholesale or foodservice distribution if that is the target channel.

How a supplier should use this Germany retailer map

  1. Select the format. Decide whether the product fits discount, full-range supermarket, large-format retail, convenience, organic specialist or another channel.
  2. Name the parent and banner. Avoid double-counting a banner within its parent group. Keep ALDI Nord and ALDI SÜD separate.
  3. Choose the operating scope. Define national, regional or local supply and identify who controls the relevant assortment decision.
  4. Audit actual stores. Record assortment, price, pack, claims, promotions and region on a dated visit or online review. A corporate footprint cannot reveal the category gap.
  5. Verify the supplier route. Distinguish an open application from a local initiative, innovation route or portal for current suppliers.
  6. Build the economics for that route. Model delivered cost, case and pallet configuration, minimum runs, service level, promotion and returns against the intended format.

Manufacturers offering retailer own label can continue with our private-label supplier guide for Germany. Brands looking for a production partner should instead use the European contract manufacturer shortlist.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest supermarket group in Germany?

EDEKA reports the largest Germany-focused group turnover and store system among the businesses compared here, with €77.3bn turnover and 10,871 markets in 2025. It is a cooperative system that includes Netto Marken-Discount, so the total should not be read as one uniform supermarket banner.

Are Lidl and Kaufland the same company?

Both are part of Schwarz Group, but they are different retail banners and formats. Lidl is a discount retailer; Kaufland operates larger stores with broader assortments. Their Germany store counts can be compared within the parent, but each needs its own category and supplier assessment.

Are REWE and PENNY the same company?

Both sit within REWE Group's Retail Germany business. REWE is the full-range supermarket proposition and includes independent retailers; PENNY is the discount banner. Their 2025 revenues are reported separately within Retail Germany.

Is ALDI one chain in Germany?

No. ALDI Nord and ALDI SÜD operate separate German territories. Combine their store counts only when describing the consumer-facing ALDI footprint, and never infer a shared application or buying route from that total.

Use GourmetPro's Germany market support to turn this structure into a category shortlist, or discuss a focused retail route with our team.