Group business model

METRO GROUP’s corporate structure is characterised by a clear division of responsibilities. The group is headed by METRO AG. As a central management holding company, it oversees group management functions, including, in particular, Finance, Controlling, Legal and Compliance. The central management and administrative functions for METRO Cash & Carry are formally anchored within METRO AG.

The group’s operational business is handled by our three sales lines. In some cases, the sales lines operate in the market with several sales brands or through subsidiaries, depending on the respective strategy, segment and specific competitive environment.

METRO Cash & Carry is responsible for the group’s wholesale business, Media-Saturn for consumer electronics retailing and Real for hypermarkets. All sales lines have full responsibility for their entire value chain.

Service companies support all METRO GROUP sales lines with services in such areas as real estate, logistics, information technology and advertising. Together with METRO AG as the management holding, they are recognised under “Others”.

Overview of METRO GROUP

Overview of METRO GROUP

METRO Cash & Carry is a leading international player in self-service wholesale trade. Its brands METRO and MAKRO operate in 25 countries throughout Europe and Asia. The wholesale stores offer products and services tailored to the specific needs of professional customers, such as hotels and restaurants, catering firms, independent retailers, service providers and public authorities. Aside from the cash-and-carry business, the sale line is also active in the food service distribution (FSD) are, among others through the Classic Fine Foods group (CFF), which has been part of the company since August 2015 and operates in 25 major cities in 14 mainly Asian countries. It supplies premium hotels, restaurants and catering firms. In financial year 2015/16, METRO GROUP reinforced this business field through additional acquisitions in Europe: in April 2016, it concluded the acquisition of Rungis Express, a Germany-based premium food supplier and parent company of Swiss premium food supplier Fideco. In July 2016, METRO GROUP signed the contract for the acquisition of Pro à Pro, a French food supplier for commercial customers. The transaction has yet to be closed. The sale of the wholesale activities in Vietnam, which had been initiated in financial year 2013/14, was successfully concluded in January 2016.

Media-Saturn is the European leader in consumer electronics retailing and related services. The group of companies regards itself as a responsible and sustainable partner, daily companion and navigator for consumers in an increasingly digitised world. With its portfolio of formats and brands, Media-Saturn flexibly addresses the requirements of different customer groups and countries: the company includes the Media Markt and Saturn brands, which are dovetailing their more than 1,000 physical stores with online sales platforms. In addition, the group of companies operates pure online retail platforms such as Redcoon and iBOOD as well as the digital entertainment platform Juke.

Real is one of the leading hypermarket operators in Germany, where it is active both in store-based and online retail. All Real hypermarkets are characterised by a large proportion of high-quality fresh produce, a wide range of non-food articles and attractive prices offering good value for money. In March 2016, Real acquired the shopping portal Hitmeister, thereby pushing the growth of its online business.

Store network by countries and segments