Edeka has announced that total group sales increased by 14.9 per cent during fiscal 2009, up to €42.1bn, with retail sales climbing 18.7bn to hit €38bn.
Overall operating profit crept up by 1.1 per cent to €283.7m, boosted by the integration of the Plus discount chain that Edeka acquired from Tengelmann.
Independent supermarkets saw sales grow by 5.5 per cent to €17bn, the group said, with like-for-like sales up nearly 2 per cent while discount chains saw sales surge by 137 per cent to €9.9bn, helped by the addition of the 2,300 Plus outlets.
'The Edeka Group has proven to be a guarantor of economic stability and job security,' said Markus Mosa, CEO at Edeka. 'The retailer stands like a tower of strength – with encouraging growth in existing stores and an unbroken power of innovation.'
