 | |
 miniMAL branch in Blaubeuren, Germany | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Supermarkets |
| Founded | 1973 in West Germany |
| Founder | Leibbrand Group |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Successors | REWE (German stores) Billa (Polish stores) |
Number of locations | 1,500 (2004-05) |
Area served | Poland Germany |
| Parent | REWE Group |
The brand Minimal (written miniMAL in official usage) was used for a former chain of full-service supermarkets that was operated in Germany and Poland by Rewe Group until 2006.
The first Minimal store was opened in 1973 by the Bad Homburg-based Leibbrand Group. The group, which also owned other retail chains such as HL-Markt, Penny Markt or toom, initially sold 50% of its assets to Rewe in 1974 [1] and was bought out completely in 1989. The Minimal stores at first had a floor size of 800 to 1000 square metres, which was a considerable size at the time. Later stores had sales floors between 1200 and 1500 square metres. In 1990, the until-then West German chain expanded into the former GDR states; the first Minimal store in the East was opened in 1990 in Wanzleben in Saxony-Anhalt.
During the years 2004 and 2005, Rewe converted most of its small-footprint chains (such as HL Deutscher Supermarkt, Stüssgen, Kafu and Otto Mess) into Minimal stores. Since them, the name Minimal did not only encompass the larger branches, but also small stores with a floor size from 400 square metres. This resulted in about 1,500 supermarkets carrying the miniMAL branding. [2]
In January 2006, Rewe Group decided to merge all its German full-service supermarket operations under a common brand name, [2] [3] independent of whether they had been chain stores or individually operated by co-operative members, of whom the latter already had been using the "Rewe" brand. The new branding strategy came into effect on the weekend of 25 September 2006, when 3,000 stores were switched over simultaneously, including all (German) Minimal stores as well as the few remaining branches of HL, Stüssgen and Otto Mess. [4]
The first Polish branch of Minimal was opened in 1996. In late 2006, Rewe Group switched over the branding of the stores to their Billa brand, common in Austria.[ citation needed ]
A convenience store, bodega, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as tea, coffee, groceries, fruits, vegetables, snacks, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery tickets, over-the-counter drugs, toiletries, newspapers and magazines.
Metro AG is a German multinational company based in Düsseldorf which operates business membership-only cash and carry stores primarily under the Metro brand. As of March 2024, Metro is operating 626 wholesale stores in 21 countries, including Europe, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan.
BILLA is an Austrian supermarket chain that operates in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The company was founded by Karl Wlaschek in 1953. He sold his controlling interest to Germany's REWE Group in 1996.
Aldi is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 12,000 stores in 18 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when they took over their mother's store in Essen. The business was split into two separate groups in 1960, that later became Aldi Nord, headquartered in Essen, and Aldi Süd, headquartered in Mülheim.
A hypermarket is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including full grocery lines and general merchandise. In theory, hypermarkets allow customers to satisfy all their routine shopping needs in one trip. The term hypermarket was coined in 1968 by French trade expert Jacques Pictet.
Pathmark is a supermarket brand owned by Allegiance Retail Services, a retailers’ cooperative based in Iselin, New Jersey, USA. Pathmark currently has one location in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, which it has operated since 2019.
SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational franchise that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, and as of 2021 consists of 13,623 stores in 48 countries.
Somerfield was a chain of small to medium-sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company also previously owned the Kwik Save chain of discount food stores. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth-largest food retailer. The Somerfield name was replaced by the Co-operative brand in a rolling programme of store conversions ending in summer 2011.
Franklins was an Australian discount supermarket chain selling packaged groceries and perishables throughout New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. It sold the "No Frills" home brand generic products. In 2011 the chain was bought by Metcash and the stores were sold off, shut down or converted into new supermarket banners or other brands. The final store closed in April 2015.
Price Rite is a chain of supermarkets found in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Based in Keasbey, New Jersey, Price Rite is owned by New Jersey-based Wakefern Food Corporation, the cooperative behind ShopRite Supermarkets, Dearborn Market, and The Fresh Grocer. Prior to 2014, Wakefern owned and operated all Price Rite stores.
MediaMarkt is a German multinational chain of stores selling consumer electronics with over 1000 stores in ten countries in Europe. With the Saturn chain of stores it constitutes Media-Saturn Holding, owned by the retail company Ceconomy, which was demerged from Metro Group in 2017.
Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH was a German department store chain whose headquarters were in Essen. Until 30 September 2010 the company was a subsidiary of Arcandor AG and was responsible within the group for the business segment of over-the-counter retail.
Standa was an Italian chain of department stores.
Westfield Whitford City, formerly Whitford City Shopping Centre, is a major shopping centre located in Hillarys, east of St. Mark's Anglican Community School in Perth, Western Australia. Built in 1977 on the former Red Cattle Ridge site at Marmion Avenue approximately 18 kilometres north of the Perth central business district, the centre is owned by the Scentre Group.
Mein Real was a chain of hypermarkets in Germany, until 2020 owned by Metro AG. It was formed in 1992, from the merger of chains divi, Basar, Continent, Esbella and real-kauf. Until 2014 it was also active internationally, in Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey; most of these operations were bought by French retail company Auchan Group. In 2018, Metro decided to divest the Real chain and in 2021, many markets were taken over by either Edeka, Kaufland, Globus, Rewe or V-Markt and got rebranded with the brand of the respective new owner. The process of selling was finished by mid of 2022. However, the original plans to liquidate real completely were dropped in early 2022 when it was decided that the remaining 60 stores will continue under the real brand name under new ownership. Real's former website (real.de) was replaced by kaufland.de in 2021. The new website can be found at meinreal.de.
Selgros is a cash and carry chain in Europe, owned by Transgourmet Holding, a wholly owned subsidiary of Coop (Switzerland). It started in 1989 as a joint venture between Rewe Group (50%) and Otto Group (50%). In March 2008, Rewe took over 100% of the company, and in October 2008 formed the Transgourmet Holding company with Coop. In 2011, Coop purchased the remaining interests of Transgourmet, which included Selgros.
Penny or internationally Penny Market is a German discount supermarket chain based in Germany, which operates 3,550 stores. The market was founded by Leibbrand Gruppe in 1973; since 1989, it has been fully owned by the Rewe Group.
The REWE Group is a German diversified retail and tourism co-operative group based in Cologne, Germany. The name REWE comes from Revisionsverband der Westkauf-Genossenschaften", meaning "Western Buying Co-operatives Auditing Association".
Veganz Group AG is a vegan brand headquartered in Berlin, Germany. Veganz was founded as the first vegan supermarket chain in Europe.
| Co-operatives | |
|---|---|
| Discount |
|
| Organic | |
| Hypermarkets |
|
| Regional | |
| Defunct chains | |
