"The nine countries in the Retail International business unit have had a challenging year. Following high inflation in 2023, we were confronted with recessionary trends in some markets, and consumer reluctance to spend is noticeable in the countries, which makes successful business development even more difficult. Nevertheless, we navigated well through the year and were not only able to maintain our strong market position, but even expand it in some countries," says Jan Kunath, Deputy CEO of the REWE Group, describing the international trading business.

Total gross sales in Retail International rose by 6.1 per cent from 22.45 billion euros to 23.82 billion euros (adjusted for exchange rate effects) in 2024. The full-range business in Austria (BILLA, BILLA PLUS, BIPA, ADEG) grew by 5.1 per cent to 9.90 billion euros. PENNY International recorded an increase in turnover of 7.8 per cent to 9.34 billion euros. The full-range business in the CEE region (BILLA, IKI) achieved revenue of 4.58 billion euros, an increase of 4.8 per cent. In addition, the number of our employees rose by 1,450 to 95,156 in the past financial year. We also continued our investment offensive in Retail International in 2024 with a volume of over 1 billion euros.

As a typical national discounter in Italy, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania, PENNY International was once again able to grow strongly in 2024 and achieve an increase in sales in all countries. PENNY Romania was once again the growth leader with + 14.9 per cent, followed by PENNY Czech Republic with + 9.7 per cent, PENNY Hungary with + 5.8 per cent, PENNY Austria with + 3.5 per cent and PENNY Italy with + 1.4 per cent (all figures are adjusted for exchange rate effects).

"We can look back on a successful year. A cross-border increase in turnover of 7.8 per cent to 9.34 billion euros shows that we are serving our customers' needs well with our range of products and services. At the same time, we have observed that consumers have become more financially cautious. Customers are increasingly opting for private label products and are paying particular attention to national products. This trend underscores the need to continue offering high-quality, local alternatives that combine quality and good value for money," emphasised Michael Jäger, member of the Management Board of REWE International AG. The number of employees increased by 1,847 to 29,866. In addition, the entire PENNY International shop network was expanded by 78 to a total of 1,868 locations, thus sustainably expanding the investment offensive. In Romania alone, 40 new shops were opened last year.

Sales growth was also recorded in all full-range CEE markets (BILLA in Bulgaria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic as well as IKI in Lithuania). BILLA Bulgaria recorded the strongest sales growth at +6.1 per cent, followed by BILLA Czech Republic (+5.6 per cent). IKI in Lithuania was able to maintain its second place in the market and achieved an increase in sales of 5.1 per cent. BILLA Slovakia increased its revenue by 2.4 per cent in a difficult market environment. Revenue for the entire full-range CEE region rose to 4.58 billion euros, an increase of 4.8 per cent.

"Despite the difficult economic environment with high deflation in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania, we were able to achieve positive business results in 2024. In times of changing consumer behaviour, we have further consolidated our market position in all four countries. The year 2024 showed that consumers in these countries are primarily concerned about the rising cost of living and their own financial situation. We were able to meet our customers' expectations with new regional own brands and attractive offers in our customer loyalty programmes as well as new store concepts. Further continuous investments in our store network and logistics will also characterise the coming year," says Espen B. Larsen, member of the Management Board of REWE International AG. The store network was also expanded by +33 to 860 locations in 2024, while the number of employees rose to 22,091 last year.

The past financial year was very successful in the Austrian full-range segment (BILLA, BILLA PLUS, BIPA including BIPA Croatia, Wholesale and Travel and Tourism) with sales growth of +5.1 per cent to EUR 9.90 billion. "The positive development of our own brands across all price categories and key themes, such as organic or green products, illustrates our clear strategy for high-quality products at affordable prices, which applies to the food retail sector as well as the drugstore sector. In addition to BIPA Austria, the business in Croatia, which is managed from Austria, deserves special mention. With 938 employees at 141 locations, an increase of 17.2 per cent was achieved there," Marcel Haraszti, Management Board member of REWE International AG, is pleased to report.

The independent retailers of BILLA and ADEG are an increasingly important business segment. The BILLA retailers are the independent pioneers who were able to establish themselves after just under three years and whose number rose to 23 last year. ADEG, on the other hand, is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year, which is impressive proof of how consistent and sustainable merchanting can be. All independent retailers stand for maximum customer proximity and regional solidarity and prove every day how entrepreneurial spirit and commitment lead to success.