MediaMarkt facts for kids
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Media Markt store in Herstal, Belgium
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | , |
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Number of locations
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1,006 (October 2023) |
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Area served
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Germany, Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey |
| Products | Consumer electronics |
| Revenue | €21.7 billion (2022) |
| Parent | Ceconomy |
| Subsidiaries | MediaMart (Vietnam) |
MediaMarkt is a big German company that sells electronics. It has over 1,000 stores in ten countries across Europe. MediaMarkt and another store chain called Saturn are part of a larger company called Media-Saturn Holding. This holding company is owned by Ceconomy, which became a separate company from Metro Group in 2017.
Contents
The Story of MediaMarkt
How MediaMarkt Started
MediaMarkt was started by four people: Leopold Stiefel, Walter Gunz, Erich Kellerhals, and Helga Kellerhals. Markus Fernandez was also involved. The very first store opened on November 24, 1979, in Munich, Germany. By 1985, nine more stores had opened close to Munich.
Growing Bigger and Joining Forces
In 1988, a company called Kaufhof Warenhaus AG bought most of the shares in MediaMarkt's main company. This helped MediaMarkt start expanding into other countries in 1989. In 1990, MediaMarkt took over its competitor, Saturn. Later, in 1996, several companies, including Kaufhof, joined together to form Metro AG. Since then, MediaMarkt and Saturn have been managed together as part of the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group.
Trying New Countries
MediaMarkt opened its first store in China in 2010, in Shanghai. They opened six more stores with a partner company. However, by January 2013, MediaMarkt decided to close its stores in China. This was because the Metro Group could not invest enough money to help them grow more there.
Who Owns MediaMarkt Now?
In 2013, Metro owned about 78% of MediaMarkt's shares. The Kellerhals family owned a smaller part. Since 2017, Media-Saturn Holding, which includes MediaMarkt and Saturn, has been owned by Ceconomy. Ceconomy was created when it separated from the Metro Group. In 2017, Ceconomy also bought a part of a French company called Fnac Darty. In 2018, Ceconomy sold its 46 stores in Russia to a Russian company called M.video. In return, Ceconomy received a part of M.video.
Changes in 2023
In 2023, MediaMarkt left three countries. In Portugal, it sold its 10 stores to the French company Fnac. In Sweden, it sold 29 stores to Power International. In Greece, MediaMarkt sold its remaining part of 13 stores to Public Group. Public Group had already bought most of these stores in 2019.
How MediaMarkt Works
Online Shopping
In 2012, MediaMarkt started its online shop. Germany was the first country where customers could buy products online.
In Italy, MediaMarkt stores are known by a different name: MediaWorld.
Store Management Style
Each MediaMarkt store is partly owned by its manager (10%). This means store managers have a say in what products to sell. They can also decide on prices and how to manage their staff and costs.
| Country | Stores |
|---|---|
| Germany | 396(includes 125 Saturn stores) |
| Italy | 139 (as MediaWorld) |
| Spain | 112 |
| Turkey | 94 |
| Poland | 85 |
| Austria | 56 |
| Netherlands | 55 |
| Switzerland | 45 |
| Hungary | 40 |
| Belgium | 26 |
| Luxembourg | 2 |
Past Store Locations
| Country | Stores | Closed Year | What Happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 13 | 2023 | Sold to Public Group |
| Portugal | 10 | 2023 | Sold to Fnac |
| Russia | 46 | 2018 | Sold to M.Video |
| Sweden | 29 | 2023 | Sold to Power Sverige AB |
MediaMarkt Advertising
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MediaMarkt is known in Germany for its funny and sometimes bold advertising. For example, one of their slogans meant "Don't let yourself be tricked." The company's advertising campaigns are created by their own marketing team, redblue Marketing GmbH.
Famous Slogans
MediaMarkt's main slogan is "Ich bin doch nicht blöd" (I'm not stupid). This slogan has been translated into many languages for other countries where the company operates. However, in Italy, they use a different slogan.
| Language | Slogan |
|---|---|
| German | Ich bin doch nicht blöd? (I'm not stupid right?) |
| Spanish | ¡Yo no soy tonto! (I am not a fool!) |
| Dutch | Ik ben toch niet gek? (I'm not crazy right?) |
| French | Je ne suis pas fou. (I'm not crazy) |
| Galician | Eu non son parvo! (I am not a fool!) |
| Greek | Δεν είμαι και χτεσινός! (I was not born yesterday!) |
| Hungarian | Mert hülye azért nem vagyok! (Because I'm not stupid) |
| Italian | Let's Go!, in Italy
Non sono mica scemo! (I am not stupid!), in Italian-speaking Switzerland |
| Polish | Nie dla idiotów. (Not for idiots), later: Tu wszystko działa dla ciebie. (Everything works for you here.) |
| Portuguese | Eu é que não sou parvo! (It's not me who's a fool!) |
| Swedish | Allt annat känns puckat! (Everything else seems stupid!) |
| Catalan | Jo no sóc tonto! (I am not stupid) |
| Basque | Ni ez naiz inozoa! (I am not stupid) |
| Turkish | Bakmadan almam. (I don't buy without seeing it.) |
Who MediaMarkt Competes With
The biggest company in the world for selling consumer electronics is the US Best Buy Group. As of May 2016, MediaMarktSaturn and Best Buy only competed in Turkey. Another big competitor in Europe is the Euronics retail group.
See also
In Spanish: MediaMarkt para niños
