Metro Cash&Carry sales up 15%

The Metro Cash&Carry national store network saw sales worth 1.43 billion euros last year, up 15% against 2005, according to the data presented yesterday by the German Metro group in its annual financial report.
The Metro Group operates a 31-store network in Romania, 23 of which are Metro Cash&Carry outlets and 8 of which are Real stores. The first Real store opened in March last year and the network has since expanded to a total of 8 units. The Metro Cash&Carry brand, a world leader in wholesale self-service retail, continues to establish its position on the market through a concerted effort in its international operations. The sector saw an accelerated growth rate on several international markets, in particular in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia and Ukraine.
Metro Cash&Carry Romania opened its first distribution centre in Romania, located in Bucharest, in 1996. Selgros also operates on the cash & carry segment in Romania.
Within the Metro group, the total number of full-time employees in the sales departments increased from 6,114 people in 2005, to 8,382 people last year, with 1,947 of the staff being employed for the Real stores network.
Including the Romanian market, the Real store network is present in a total of five countries.
The Metro group’s international sales rose by 4.6% to 10.4 billion euros in 2006.
Hypermarkets have acquired a greater importance in the food retail sector in eastern European countries such as Poland, Romania, Russia and Turkey, amid the expansion of superstores and an interest by consumers in modern retail methods. The Real brand continued its expansion onto eastern European markets by opening stores in Romania, which experienced positive sales. Real has also opened three stores in Russia and intends further expansion in both Romania and Russia, the report added.
The GDP of Central and Eastern European countries that are members of the EU, including the new member states Romania and Bulgaria, has risen by an average of 5.7%, according to Metro data, therefore providing a favourable environment for the German group’s operations.