Rewe also strikes

Half of the Unimarkt stores now appear to be saved

(Bild: APA/TEAM FOTOKERSCHI)

Following the demise of the Traun-based local supermarket chain Unimarkt, the Rewe Group is taking over 21 stores - 13 of them in Upper Austria, six in Styria and two in Lower Austria. The majority will be operated as Adeg stores in future, while some locations will become Billa or Penny branches. Spar had already announced in the previous week that it would take over 23 locations. A total of 91 Unimarkt stores are up for sale.

The takeover of the 21 stores by the Rewe Group is subject to approval by the Federal Competition Authority (BWB) and the Federal Cartel Prosecutor, it was emphasized. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. "We are delighted about this important step towards securing local supply in Austria. Our goal now is to open up prospects for the affected employees and independent retailers," emphasized Marcel Haraszti, CEO of REWE International.

Our goal now is to open up prospects for the affected employees and independent retailers.

Marcel Haraszti, Vorstand der REWE International

Upper Austria attractive terrain for Rewe
The majority of the stores will be managed by independent retailers as Adeg in the future. Some locations that were already operated by Unimarkt under the branch system will operate under the Billa and Penny names in future. "Adeg's cooperative structures in particular offer Unimarkt retailers an ideal basis for continuing to operate their stores," Unimarkt Managing Director Andreas Hämmerle is convinced.

"Low market share"
Upper Austria, where around half of the Unimarkt stores up for sale are located, is attractive territory for the Rewe Group. This is because it still has a rather small market share here compared to other federal states. The Rewe Group currently has 5,600 employees in Upper Austria. The branch network in the province currently comprises 160 Billa and 46 Penny stores, 40 Adeg stores and 75 Bipa locations.

Almost half of the Unimarkt stores apparently secured
The food retailer Unimarkt, based in Traun, announced at the end of September that it intended to sell all of its 91 locations and withdraw from the market. 620 employees have been registered with the AMS early warning system. In addition to Spar and Rewe, other competitors such as Lidl and Hofer have also signaled their interest in locations. The UNI Group intends to complete the sale by the end of the year. The UNI Group's wholesale and logistics operations are not affected.

Spar has secured 23 locations
With the takeovers by Rewe and Spar, almost half of the Unimarkt stores appear to be secured for the time being. Spar is taking over a total of 23 stores, eleven of which are in Styria, five in Upper Austria, four in Lower Austria, two in Salzburg and one in Burgenland. The employees are to be kept on. The parties have also agreed not to disclose the purchase price and this transaction is also still subject to the necessary antitrust approval.