Edeka

The Edeka Group is the largest German supermarket corporation, currently holding a market share of 26%. Founded in 1898, it consists today of several cooperatives of independent supermarkets all operating under the umbrella organisation Edeka Zentrale AG & Co KG, with headquarters in Hamburg. There are approximately 4,100 stores with the Edeka nameplate that range from small corner stores to hypermarkets. On November 16, 2007, Edeka reached an agreement with Tengelmann (known for A&P in the US) to purchase a 70% majority stake in Tengelmann's Plus discounter store division.^[1]

History

The cooperative was founded in 1898 as the E.d.K. (Einkaufsgenossenschaft der Kolonialwarenhändler). In 1913, it was renamed as Edeka - a phonetic expansion of the previous abbreviation. The Edekabank was founded in 1914 and, from 1923, central billing was introduced. After the Second World War, the reconstruction of the store network was led from the new Hamburg central offices. In 1972, the cooperatives changed structure and formed twelve regional companies, the umbrella corporation and the Edekabank converting from a cooperative to a public limited company.

Brand names

Operational names of these stores include:

• Edeka nah und gut ("close and good") - stores up up to 400m² (4300 sq ft), mostly found in smaller municipalities
• Edeka aktiv markt ("active mart") - mostly privately run supermarkets between 400m² and 800m² (4300 - 8600 sq ft), mostly located in outlying neighborhoods and villages
• Edeka neukauf - privately or centrally managed stores between 800m² and 2000m² (8600 - 21,500 sq ft)
• Edeka center (E-Center) - hypermarkets between 2000m² and 5000m² (21,500 - 54,000 sq ft)
• Edeka C&C Großmarkt (Mios) (cash & carry)
• Edeka Großverbraucherservice (for commercial customers)
• Edeka NP-Markt

Stores not operating under the Edeka brand, but belonging to the group nonetheless:

• SPAR
• aktiv discount - often rebranded E-Center stores, mainly in northern Germany
• Netto Marken-Discount - discount stores in the north
• Marktkauf - hypermarkets, mainly in west Germany
• Plus - discount stores (30% owned by the Tengelmann Group)

It also has holdings in Denmark.

Edeka also operates a number of companies providing related services, for example the Edekabank.

References

External links

• Edeka official site
• German Press Release about Edeka's acquisition in the Plus Germany discounter chain