There are a number of retail chains operating in the Czech Republic, which are owned by both Czech and foreign owners. Their discount leaflets full of attractive promotional offers motivate customers to buy food every day. But who owns the biggest players on the market? We bring you an overview of companies and their owners.
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Multinational giants
Albert
Albert supermarkets and hypermarkets are part of an international concern Hello Delhaize, which is based in the city of Zaandam in the Netherlands. This concern was created by the merger of the Belgian company Delhaize and the Dutch Ahold in 2016. In the past, Delhaize operated supermarkets in the Czech Republic under the Delvita brand. The name Albert is derived from the founder of the original Dutch company, and under this name the chain also operates in the Netherlands and Belgium.
In the Czech Republic, Ahold’s hypermarkets were originally known under the name Hypernova. In 2009, the names of these stores were united under the Albert brand, which was originally based on the names Mana and Sesam, used until 2000. Another significant step in the development of the chain was the purchase of Interspar hypermarkets from the Austrian company Spar in 2014.
Bill and Penny
Billa and Penny supermarkets are part of a German cooperative conglomerate Rewe, which has its headquarters in Cologne. In the Czech Republic, Billa expanded to include Delvita stores, which it took over in 2007.
Lidl and Kaufland
Both of these brands are part of a German concern Schwarz Gruppe, which is based in Neckarsulm. The owner of the group is Dieter Schwarz, who is considered the richest German after the death of Karel Albrecht, the founder of the rival Aldi chain.
Globe
Hypermarket Globus is part of a German company Globus SB-Warenhaus Holding, which is a family business. Its founder was Franz Bruch, who in 1828 founded a small grocery store in Saarland. Today, Globus operates approximately twenty stores in the Czech Republic. In addition, the company is experimenting here with the concept of smaller urban stores under the Globus Fresh brand.
Tesco
British retail giant Tesco is controlled by the company Tesco PLC, whose shares are distributed among a wide range of smaller investors. According to the latest annual report from 2023, the largest share, which is 6.6%, is held by the investment firm BlackRock. It is followed by the investment companies Schroders and Silchester International Investors, whose shares are just under 5%. The company’s shares are traded on the stock exchange, which leads to regular changes in the ownership structure. The head office of Tesco PLC is located in Welwyn Garden City, which lies north of London.
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Chain A frog, which runs a network of smaller grocery stores mainly in the Central Bohemia region, is owned by the British giant Tesco. It has more than 120 stores that are operated on the basis of a franchise model by independent entrepreneurs.
Macro
The company Makro Cash&Carry ČR is part of it Metro Group, a German multinational corporation. Recently, there has been a significant increase in the share of Czech billionaires Daniel Křetínský and Patrik Tkáč, who invested through the company EP Global Commerce. Their shares are publicly traded. This year, the company is expanding in the Czech Republic by opening a new network of small urban stores under the Bonveno brand. In Prague, four stores have already been opened in pilot operation. This year, Makro plans to open twenty more stores under the Bonveno brand in the Czech Republic.
Standard
The discount chain Norma, which has its own roots in Germany, started its activities on the Czech market in 1992 with the opening of the first store. Since then, the company has managed to expand the network to approximately fifty stores in the Czech Republic. Norma also operates in France and Austria.
Companies with mainly Czech owners
CBA
Team CBA operates mainly in smaller municipalities and brings together more than 1,000 grocery stores. In addition to retail, the cooperative is also engaged in wholesale. The ownership structure of the cooperative is dominated by Roman Mazák with a 90% stake, while the remaining 10% is held by Klára Lunardon Dubská, who holds the position of director in CBA. The CBA brand, which has its roots in Hungary, was brought to the Czech Republic by Roman Mazák, who obtained the master franchise for this region.
COOP
The COOP group, or Union of Czech and Moravian consumer cooperatives, covers almost 50 consumer cooperatives with more than 100,000 members. These cooperatives manage approximately 2,500 stores, which makes the COOP group the largest retail network in the Czech Republic. Among the most famous brands belonging to this group are Jednota, Konzum, Terno and Tuty.
Flossman
Company FF Holding, the owner of the Flosman food store chain in the South Bohemian Region, was founded in 1999 by the Czech business duo Marcela and Pavel Flosman. In 2021, it was bought by the Hungarian investment group Oriens.
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Pear
Hruška, which operates a number of retail stores mainly in Moravia, is majority owned by Czech investors. Pavel Hruzik owns 40% of the shares, while Jana Skrabalova and Jarmila Plevová each control a 30% stake. In the past, however, the owners considered selling this business network. The Hungarian investment group Oriens, which already owns the Flosman and Pramen CZ chains in the Czech Republic, recently showed interest.
Enapo
Originally, Enapo stores, which focused on franchises and operated mainly in Moravia, and Pramen CZ, a centrally managed network of stores mainly in the Czech Republic, were part of the Rosa Market shopping alliance. This alliance was owned by Radek Horák from Zlín, who held 90%, and Radek Korba from Kroměříž with a 10% share. However, in June 2023, the company filed for insolvency and was subsequently listed to bankruptcy.
Due to financial problems, dozens of Enapo stores were sold. These stores took over as a chain COOP, as well as the Oriens Hungarian business group. Several other stores were taken over by tenants along with employees. In total, more than 40 stores were closed.
Source
The Hungarian Oriens group also became the new owner of the Pramen CZ stores, thus expanding its scope on the Czech market. This move marked a significant change in the structure of the retail market in the regions where these networks operated.
ICU East Bohemia
A family business JIP, which owns the food chain JIP Východočeská, was founded in 1994 by brothers Jan and Ivo Plšk, whose initials are part of the company’s name. At the same time, they both own 43% of the shares, which together represent 86% of the company.
Delmart
Delmart, a supermarket chain with an emphasis on quality and premium assortment, was established in 2014. Its founder is Dušan Mrozek, former chairman of the board of the Czech branch of Marks&Spencer. Delmart currently operates 13 stores in the Czech Republic.
Sources: websites of individual chains
