REWE Group facts for kids
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| Private. Cooperative, Joint-stock company | |
| Industry | Retailing |
| Founded | 1927 (current form 1972) |
| Headquarters |
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Germany
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Key people
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Lionel Souque, CEO Heinz-Bert Zander, Chairman |
| Products | Department stores, Supermarkets, Convenience stores, Cash&Carry, Hypermarkets, Home improvement, etc. |
| Revenue | €84.4 billion (2022) |
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Number of employees
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363,633 (2019) |
The REWE Group is a large German company. It works in two main areas: retail (selling things in stores) and tourism (helping people travel). It's a special kind of company called a "co-operative group." This means it's owned by its members, often independent shop owners. The company is based in Cologne, Germany. The name REWE comes from a German phrase that means "Western Buying Co-operatives Auditing Association."
History
The REWE Group is made up of different parts. The main company is REWE-Zentralfinanz eG. The daily business is handled by REWE-Zentral AG. Their international business is managed by Rewe International.
REWE works with many independent shop owners. They have several well-known store names. These include Billa, Penny, and Rewe supermarkets. They also own Toom for home improvement. In tourism, they have DER Touristik Germany and ITS Reisen.
In 2022, the REWE Group made €84.4 billion in sales. It is the second largest supermarket chain in Germany. The largest is EDEKA.
1927-1945
REWE started in 1927 in Cologne. It was called the Auditing Association of Westkauf Cooperatives. Its goal was to help small, independent shops. They did this by buying products together. This way, they could get better prices.
In the 1930s, REWE began to help shops with their look. They even introduced a special sign for all their stores in 1932. More buying cooperatives joined REWE in 1935. They also set up local centers. These centers are still important to REWE's business today.
REWE slowly grew outside its original area. By 1940, about 8,000 people were members. The Second World War made things very hard for the company. Many goods were hard to find. Many shop owners had to go to war. REWE started making some of its own products. A lot of their main office was destroyed by bombs. This made it very difficult for the company to work.
1946-1972
After the war, REWE started working again in August 1945. Their main office moved back to Cologne. Germany was divided, which made it hard to work everywhere. So, REWE opened branches in West Germany and West Berlin.
Basic items like sugar were still hard to find. So, in 1949, REWE launched its first own brands. These included Rewe Dreistern for flour and salt. As Germany rebuilt, REWE became more spread out. By 1960, they had over 100 member companies again.
In the 1960s and 1970s, REWE bought many supermarkets. This gave them a wide range of stores and brands. In 1971, REWE and Edeka thought about joining together. This would have made them very big. But the government worried it would create a monopoly. So, the plan did not happen.
In 1972, REWE started using its current business model. Regional cooperatives gave their management duties to REWE's main office. The main office became a joint-stock company. This company now manages all central services and sales.
Divisions
REWE Group has many different types of businesses.
Trading
- REWE – A large supermarket chain in Germany. It has about 3,300 stores.
- BILLA – A supermarket chain with over 1,000 stores in Austria. It also has 400 stores in other European countries.
- Penny – A discount supermarket chain. It has 3,000 stores in Germany, Austria, Italy, Romania, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.
- nahkauf – Small convenience stores in Germany.
- toom BauMarkt – A DIY and home improvement store chain. It has 250 stores in Germany.
- Billa Plus – A supermarket chain with 100 stores in Austria. It used to be called Merkur.
- BIPA – A health and beauty store chain. It has 560 stores in Austria and 58 stores in Croatia.
- REWE Ihr Kaufpark – A supermarket chain with 120 stores in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It used to be called Kaufpark.
- Palink – A supermarket chain in Lithuania.
Tourism
DER Touristik is the part of REWE Group that handles travel.
- Tour operator brands: ITS, Jahn Reisen, Tjaereborg, Dertour, Meier’s Weltreisen, ADAC Reisen, and clevertours.com.
- Hotel brands: lti Hotels, Club Calimera, and PrimaSol Hotels.
In 2015, DER Touristik bought the European travel parts of Kuoni Travel.
Digital Business
In 2013, the REWE Group created a new company called REWE Digital. This company handles all of REWE's online activities. They also bought commercetools, which helps build online stores. Another purchase was ZooRoyal, an online shop for pet food and supplies.
In 2017, REWE Group said it would invest billions more. This money would help them make their business even more digital. In 2020, REWE Digital created a new company called OC Fulfillment GmbH. This company provides software to help businesses manage online and in-store orders. In 2021, REWE Group started Paymenttools. This company offers payment solutions for stores, both online and in person.
See also
In Spanish: REWE Group para niños
