Change at Unimarkt

Fewer stores, online store closed

The UNI Group shrank the branch network and also pulled the plug on the online store.(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

Almost no stone has been left unturned at Unimarkt. The food retailer, which operates from Traun (Upper Austria), is stepping on the gas in its search for franchisees, recently shrinking its store network and pulling the plug on its online store, which had grown enormously during the pandemic.

"Become an entrepreneur with pleasure" is the motto of the offensive with which Unimarkt is looking for franchisees. By spring 2026, the food retailer only wants to run a few locations itself and have the rest operated by license partners.

"We are pushing ahead with this strategy," says Managing Director Johannes Aumann. At the start of the 2024/25 financial year, 65 of the 124 Unimarkt stores were already run by franchise partners, and in March and April alone, the Traun-based company handed over five stores to independent retailers.

Last year was a huge challenge for the UNI Group, which includes Unimarkt and Nah&Frisch. "Price increases in the industry, a decline in purchasing power, a lack of employees and an increased cost structure have curbed the planned result," says owner Andreas Haider.

Fewer stores, UNIBoxes and online store closed
The consequences: Unimarkt's store network has been shrunk somewhat, and hardly a stone has been left unturned. The last UNIBoxes, which operated on a self-service basis, were closed on February 28. The plug has also been pulled on the online store.

"We are working on a new form of online retail," says Haider. The transport boxes that were used to deliver the food were kept - for future projects.