Last year, Belgian supermarket group Delhaize became the largest distributor in Serbia. The chain is staving off Metro, Lidl and a number of local competitors.
Largest retailer
In terms of turnover and profit, Delhaize Serbia can now call itself the largest distribution chain in the country, ESM Magazine cites local magazine Tabloid. In 2018, the company achieved a turnover of 100.5 billion Serbian dinars (850 million euros), which was an increase of 4.4 %. The net profit amounted to 22.5 million euros. The supermarket chain accounts for 2.74 % of total trade turnover in the country, and employs more than 12,600 people there.
Second in the list is Mercator-S, which has three brands in Serbia: Idea supermarkets, Roda mega markets and Mercator hypermarkets. The company generated a total turnover of 84 billion dinars (700 million euros). Third place – lagging quite far behind – is Metro, with a turnover of 26.5 billion Serbian dinars (220 million euros). The German retailer ended the year with a loss of almost 200,000 euros.
Lidl, which has only had an active presence in Serbia since the fourth quarter of 2018, posted a total turnover of just under 100 million euros and a net loss of 45 million euros, which was mainly due to the opening of stores and the purchase of real estate.
