Hypermarkets double market share

Hypermarkets attained a 13% market share in the first half of the year, compared with 6% in the same time of 2006, shows a survey by market research company GfK. As for supermarkets, they gained 2 percentage points, reaching 17% of the consumer goods retail in the first six months of the year. Although discount stores saw the highest expansion over the last year, their market share was up by just 1% in the above-mentioned period, to 5%. Cash & Carry stores, i.e. Metro and Selgros, diminished their market share derived from consumer goods retail, reaching 5% in the first half of the year, compared with 6% in the first six months of 2006. The top ten retailers in Romania make up one quarter of the consumer goods market, the GfK survey also shows. The strategies to develop several store formats, recently adopted by Carrefour and Metro, as well as the acquisition of independent networks by the large international retailers, will lead to a higher concentration of the Romanian market, to the detriment of traditional stores. The German discount hypermarket network Kaufland currently holds the biggest market share of the FMCG market, according to GfK. What enabled Kaufland to leave behind networks with higher turnovers, such as Metro, Selgros and Carrefour, is the 80% share held by food products in the company’s overall sales. As for Metro and Selgros, they also rely on selling equipment to people employed in hotels, restaurants, catering, as well as on selling electronic equipment, which is not included in the FMCG category.