2026-10-10 11:11

German Food Retail in Figures: 2026

German food retail is growing largely through prices: turnover rose by 3.8% in 2025, to €217.8 billion excluding VAT (EHI Retail Institute), while real food sales grew by only 1.1% (Destatis). Online food sales came to about €4.1 billion, and four groups — EDEKA, Schwarz, REWE and ALDI — control more than 90% of the market (Bundeskartellamt). The sources use different methods, so each figure should be read together with its source.

The market grows largely through prices; online remains a niche

For a store owner, price-driven growth has two sides: an indexed rent follows consumer prices, not sales volumes, but the retailer's costs rise with prices as well. From 2023 to 2025 food-retail turnover rose from €204.5 billion to €217.8 billion, while real food sales grew by only 1.1% in 2025.

Exhibit 1. Turnover grew by 3.8% in nominal terms and real sales by 1.1%; online reached only €4.12 billion

Indicator	Value	Source
Food-retail turnover excl. VAT, 2025	€217.8 billion (+3.8%)	EHI
Same, 2024 and 2023	€209.7 billion and €204.5 billion	EHI
Growth in food sales in 2025: real and nominal	+1.1% and +3.4%	Destatis
Online food sales, 2025	€4.12 billion (+5.5%)	bevh
Online share of food and drugstore sales, 2025	4.9% (online sales +10.4%)	HDE
Population at 31 December 2025	83.47 million	Destatis
Food-retail turnover per inhabitant	about €2,610 a year	our calculation
Food-retail turnover by Eurostat's method, 2024	€276.6 billion, 1st in the EU (France: €273.6 billion)	Eurostat

Sources: EHI Retail Institute (as reported by Lebensmittel Rundschau of 3 September 2026 and LEBENSMITTEL PRAXIS); Destatis, press release no. 038 of 2 February 2026 and population statistics; bevh/EHI; HDE Online Monitor 2026; Eurostat, structural business statistics (NACE 47.11).

The bevh online figures include VAT and the EHI figures do not, so an online share of about 1.9% is only a rough guide (see Part 1 of the series German Prime Retail).

Supermarkets are growing more than twice as fast as discounters

Exhibit 2. Discounters hold 46.1% of the market, but supermarkets grow faster: +6.5% against +2.7%

Format	Turnover 2025, € billion	Growth on 2024	Market share	Stores
Discounters	100.4	+2.7%	46.1%	15,976
Supermarkets	≈70	+6.5%	32.2%	10,700
Large supermarkets	≈24	+7.1%	11.0%	1,300
Self-service hypermarkets (SB-Warenhäuser)	18.6	−2.6%	≈8.5%	689
Other food stores	4.6	—	≈2.1%	—

Sources: EHI Retail Institute — turnover, growth and shares (values marked ≈ are our calculation from EHI data). Store numbers: BNP Paribas Real Estate, grocery investment market report, Q4 2025, based on HDE Zahlenspiegel (BNP's large supermarkets are Verbrauchermärkte).

Full-range supermarkets — above all REWE and EDEKA stores — are winning share from discounters: together with large supermarkets, their share rose within a year from 42.1% to 43.2%. The average supermarket has a rental area of 1,850 m² and the average discounter 1,250 m², while retailers' requirements for new sites assume about 2,300 and 1,500 m² (BNP Paribas Real Estate). The difference — about 450 and 250 m² per store — is the "silent reserve" (see Part 3 of the series German Prime Retail): it pays off only if the plot has room to grow.

Four groups control more than 90% of sales

Exhibit 3. Concentration rose from 85% in 2014 to more than 90% in 2025

Group	Main chains	Share of sales in Germany, 2025
EDEKA	EDEKA, Netto Marken-Discount	about 30%
Schwarz	Lidl, Kaufland	about 25%
REWE	REWE, Penny	about 22%
ALDI	ALDI Nord, ALDI Süd	about 15%
Four groups combined		more than 90% (2014: about 85%)

Source: Bundeskartellamt, press releases of 28 September 2026 (EDEKA/tegut case) and 24 September 2014 (sector inquiry).

For a landlord, concentration cuts both ways: tenants are financially sound, but the choice of replacements is narrow. The Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) has also found that the average margin in food retail after costs is only a few per cent. In September 2026 the office allowed EDEKA to buy 178 tegut stores only on condition that the group does not acquire a further 24 sites for four years. The condition also covers acquiring those sites through leases (see Part 2 of the series German Prime Retail).

Implications for investors

1. Judge the rent against real sales, not nominal turnover. Turnover rose by 3.8% but real sales by only 1.1%: an indexed rent follows prices, and the retailer's costs rise with them.

2. Check the plot before paying for growth. The average supermarket is about 450 m² short of retailers' requirements and the average discounter about 250 m², but that reserve pays off only if the plot has room to grow.

3. Assess the circle of successors before you buy. Four groups control more than 90% of sales: tenants are financially sound but replacements are few, and the Bundeskartellamt restricts the groups' deals, as the EDEKA–tegut case shows.

What to check:
• Separate net from gross: EHI reports turnover excluding VAT and bevh including VAT, so online shares are only roughly comparable.
• Do not confuse real and nominal growth: Destatis publishes growth rates, not amounts in euros.
• Check that a figure covers Germany alone: the revenue of the REWE and Schwarz groups includes foreign and non-food business.
• Find out who signed the lease — a group company or an independent merchant under its brand.

Sources: EHI Retail Institute (Lebensmittel Rundschau, 3 September 2026; LEBENSMITTEL PRAXIS); Destatis, press release no. 038 of 2 February 2026, population statistics at 31 December 2025; bevh/EHI (Lebensmittel Rundschau, 30 January 2026); HDE Online Monitor 2026 (3 June 2026); Eurostat, sbs_ovw_act (NACE 47.11), update of 30 September 2026; Bundeskartellamt, press releases of 24 September 2014 and 28 September 2026; BNP Paribas Real Estate, Grocery-Investmentmarkt Deutschland, Q4 2025. Data as at October 2026.

Photo: Didier Weemaels / Unsplash

This page is general information and not investment, legal or tax advice.

Ilya Gordon