Metro AG () is a diversified retail and wholesale/cash and carry group based in Germany. It has the largest market share in its home market, and is one of the most globalised retail and wholesale corporations. It is the 5th largest retailer in the world, having been overtaken by Tesco in 2008. In English it often refers to itself as Metro Group. It was established in 1964 by Otto Beisheim.

Scale

According to a 2008 report by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Metro is Europe's third largest retailer, after Tesco of the UK and Carrefour of France.^[1]

If Metro's cash and carry operations, which are its largest division, are not counted as retail, it also ranks behind Tesco, and possibly a few other European retailers. The cash and carry division's page on the company's official English language website states that the company is the, "World market leader in the wholesale business", implicitly excluding the cash and carry division from the retail sector.

Sales divisions

The company operates the following sales divisions:

• Metro and Makro Cash and Carry (Makro stores in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe were acquired from SHV in 1998): This division accounts for nearly half of group sales as of 2004, and is by far the most internationalised division, with stores in almost every country in which the group operates.
• Real: A hypermarket operator. 265 stores in Germany and 34 elsewhere as of early 2005.
• Extra: A supermarket operator. That is, the stores are smaller than the Real stores. As of early 2005, 443 stores, all in Germany.
• Media Markt and Saturn: Media Markt is a consumer electronics company with stores in Germany and several other European countries. Saturn is an electronic media chain, also with stores in Germany and some other European countries.
• Galeria Kaufhof: A department store chain with locations in Germany and Belgium ("Inno").

Its German business units for a while had an image problem related to the sales of tainted meat, or past-sale date meat. As of 2007 it has added the former Wal-Mart Germany stores to the Real chain.

International presence

As of 1 Jan 2007, the Metro Group operated stores in the following countries:

Europe

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Italy
• Luxembourg
• Moldova
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russia
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom

Asia

• China
• India
• Japan - a loss-making joint venture in which Japan's Marubeni has a minority stake.
• Thailand
• Vietnam
• Pakistan

Africa

• Egypt
• Morocco

Canada's Metro Inc. is not affiliated.

Financial performance

In the 2003 calendar year, Metro Group had sales of 53,965 million euro. Profit before tax was 817 million euro, and group net profit was 496 million euro. In the early years of the 21st century, Metro has had a lower growth rate than many of its global competitors. This is partly due to the weakness of the German economy.

Future Plans

The Metro group is looking towards expansion in Asia and Europe. The Metro group has announced plans to expand its operations in Pakistan, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Egypt.

They also split off and floated their *Praktiker division in December 2006. A DIY/home improvement chain with stores in several countries.

See also

• European Retail Round Table
• Metro Cash and Carry

External links

• Official site - English version

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