Metro AG
German multinational operator of business membership-based wholesale stores.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Metro AG is a German multinational wholesale group headquartered in Düsseldorf. Its principal business is the operation of membership-based cash-and-carry stores, primarily under the Metro brand, serving restaurants, hotels, caterers, independent retailers, offices and other professional customers. The group also supplies foodservice customers through delivery and digital channels and has developed specialist wholesale businesses in areas such as meat, seafood and hospitality distribution. The business originated in the Ruhr region in the early 1960s. A first wholesale center using the Metro name opened in Essen in November 1963, followed by the creation of Metro-SB-Großmarkt GmbH & Co. KG in 1964. Ernst Schmidt and Wilhelm Schmidt-Ruthenbeck were central founding figures, while Otto Beisheim became the early operating leader. Investment from Franz Haniel & Cie. helped provide the capital and corporate structure for rapid expansion. Metro subsequently extended its cash-and-carry model across Germany and, through cooperation with SHV Holdings, into the Netherlands under the Makro name. The group became considerably broader during the 1980s and 1990s. Metro acquired an interest in Kaufhof and in 1996 created Metro AG through the combination of Metro Cash & Carry, Kaufhof Holding, Deutsche SB-Kauf, Asko and other businesses. The enlarged group included department stores, hypermarkets, do-it-yourself retail, fashion, sports, office supplies and consumer electronics. Media Markt and Saturn became especially important parts of the former conglomerate, while Real served as its general merchandise and hypermarket business. During the 2000s and 2010s Metro sold or separated many non-core activities. It disposed of or reorganized Divaco-related businesses, spun off Praktiker, acquired Wal-Mart's German stores and integrated most of them into Real, sold Extra to Rewe, and divested operations in several countries. Galeria Kaufhof was sold to Hudson's Bay Company in 2015. In 2016 the group announced a structural separation between the wholesale and food business and the consumer-electronics business. The former Metro AG was renamed Ceconomy, while the newly established Metro AG retained Metro Cash & Carry and Real. This transaction created the corporate form associated with the present wholesale-focused company. Real was sold to the SCP Group in 2020, completing Metro's retreat from general retail in Germany. Metro has also reduced its geographic footprint through disposals, closures and exits, including operations in the United Kingdom, Greece, Vietnam, Denmark, Japan, Myanmar, Belgium and India. At the same time, it has pursued specialist wholesale expansion, including the 2023 acquisition of Swedish meat, fish and seafood supplier Johan i Hallen & Bergfalk through Johbeco AB. As of September 2025, the company operated 622 wholesale stores in 21 countries. Russia remained a significant and controversial market after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine: Metro condemned the invasion and supported humanitarian deliveries but chose to continue operating there, citing employees and customers dependent on its stores. This decision led to criticism from Ukrainian officials and the company's inclusion on Ukraine's list of international sponsors of war. In April 2025 Metro applied for delisting from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, a move that would end its inclusion in the SDAX after the listing was revoked.
History
Metro's roots lie in the development of large-format cash-and-carry wholesale in postwar Germany. The first Metro wholesale center opened in Essen on 8 November 1963. In 1964, the Schmidt brothers and the Schell family combined their wholesale activities to form Metro-SB-Großmarkt GmbH & Co. KG. Otto Beisheim, previously associated with Stöcker & Reinshagen, became the principal managing director. Franz Haniel & Cie. later invested in the business, creating a shareholder structure in which the Schmidt-Ruthenbeck family, Beisheim and Haniel each held substantial interests. Expansion followed quickly. Stores opened in West Berlin and other German cities, while an arrangement with Dutch group SHV Holdings brought the Makro cash-and-carry format to the Netherlands. During the 1970s and 1980s Metro established itself as one of Europe's leading professional wholesale operators. In 1980 it acquired a significant stake in Kaufhof, beginning a period in which Metro increasingly combined wholesale with conventional retail. Metro AG was formed in 1996 through the merger of Metro Cash & Carry with Kaufhof Holding, Deutsche SB-Kauf and Asko Deutsche Kaufhaus. The resulting conglomerate owned or controlled businesses spanning department stores, hypermarkets, shopping centers, sporting goods, office products, home improvement, fashion, footwear and consumer electronics. Media Markt and Saturn became part of the group's electronics portfolio. Metro AG was listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in July 1996 and was included in the DAX for a period. The late 1990s and 2000s brought repeated portfolio restructuring. Several businesses were placed in Divaco, a joint venture created with Deutsche Bank and the Gerling Group to facilitate disposals. Metro acquired Allkauf department stores and travel agencies, bought Wal-Mart's German stores in 2006 and integrated most of them into Real, and sold Extra supermarkets to Rewe in 2008. Praktiker was separated and listed independently in 2005. Metro also sold or closed businesses in a number of foreign markets, including Morocco, the United Kingdom, Greece, Vietnam, Denmark and Egypt. During the 2010s, the company accelerated its retreat from non-core retail. Real stores in Poland, Romania, Russia and Ukraine were sold to Auchan in 2012, and the Turkish Real business was sold in 2014. Galeria Kaufhof was sold to Hudson's Bay Company in 2015. In 2016 Metro announced that the group would be split into a wholesale-and-food company and a consumer-electronics company. The old legal entity became Ceconomy, while a new Metro AG was created around Metro Cash & Carry and Real. The separation was completed in 2017 and defined the current company's identity. Metro subsequently sold Real Germany to SCP Group, completed the sale of most of its Chinese joint venture to Wumei while retaining a minority stake, and exited Japan, Myanmar, Belgium and India. Its Belgian subsidiary entered bankruptcy in 2022, ending operations in a market where both Metro and Makro formats had operated. Metro has nevertheless continued to invest in specialist wholesale and foodservice. In 2023 it acquired Swedish meat, fish and seafood specialist Johan i Hallen & Bergfalk, supporting entry into Sweden and Finland. The company's continued presence in Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine became its most prominent controversy. Metro expressed solidarity with Ukraine and supported humanitarian food and water deliveries, but said that it would not withdraw from Russia because of its responsibilities to approximately 10,000 employees and customers. Ukrainian authorities criticized the decision, alleged pressure on the Ukrainian subsidiary, and later listed Metro as an international sponsor of war. In 2025 Metro applied for delisting from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, signaling another change in its corporate and capital-markets structure.
- 2025
Delisting application submitted
[1]Metro applied for delisting from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
- 2023
Johan i Hallen & Bergfalk acquired
[1]Metro acquired Swedish specialist supplier Johan i Hallen & Bergfalk through Johbeco AB.
- 2020
Real Germany sold
[1]The SCP Group acquired Metro's remaining German Real hypermarket business.
- 2017
Wholesale company begins current incarnation
[1]The separation from Ceconomy established the present Metro AG as a wholesale-focused company.
- 2015
Galeria Kaufhof sold
[1]Metro agreed to sell Galeria Kaufhof to Hudson's Bay Company.
- 2006
Wal-Mart's German stores acquired
[1]Metro purchased Wal-Mart's 85 German stores and largely integrated them into Real.
- 2005
Praktiker is separated
[1]The home-improvement division Praktiker was spun off as an independent listed company.
- 1996
Metro AG is formed and listed
[1]Metro Cash & Carry, Kaufhof and other retail interests were combined into Metro AG, which was listed in Frankfurt.
- 1980
Stake acquired in Kaufhof
[1]Metro acquired 24.9 percent of Kaufhof, laying groundwork for later group consolidation.
- 1966
Haniel invests in Metro
[1]Franz Haniel & Cie. invested in the company, supporting its subsequent expansion.
Products and positioning
Professional wholesale partner for hospitality, foodservice, independent retailers and other business customers.
Business wholesale · 1963
Metro Cash & Carry
Metro's core store format provides business customers with bulk and professional purchasing across food and non-food categories. Stores are designed for restaurants, hotels, caterers, independent retailers and other organizations, combining warehouse-style presentation with membership-based access.
Wholesale delivery
Metro Delivery
Metro supplies professional customers through delivery and ordering services, complementing physical wholesale stores. The offer is intended to support hospitality and foodservice operators that need regular replenishment, specialist products and more convenient procurement.
Private-label products
Metro own brands
The group sells own-brand food, beverages, fresh products and non-food supplies. These products help Metro address professional users seeking consistent specifications, wholesale value and products tailored to commercial kitchens and retail operations.
Specialty wholesale · 2023
Specialist foodservice wholesale
Through specialist businesses and acquisitions, Metro serves professional buyers with categories such as meat, fish and seafood. Johan i Hallen & Bergfalk added specialist distribution capabilities in Sweden and Finland.
Controversies
2023
Designation as an international sponsor of war
Ukraine's National Agency on Corruption Prevention placed Metro on its international sponsors of war list, linking the designation to the company's continued Russian operations and related concerns.
2022
Continued Russian operations after the invasion of Ukraine
Metro condemned Russia's invasion, expressed support for Ukraine and backed humanitarian food and water deliveries, but chose to keep its Russian wholesale business open. The decision generated criticism from Ukrainian officials and calls for a boycott.
Brand decisions
2025
Apply for stock-exchange delistingStrategyBackground
Metro pursued a change in its capital-markets structure after operating as a Frankfurt-listed company.
Action taken
The company applied for revocation of its Frankfurt Stock Exchange listing.
Aftermath
Once effective, the delisting would remove Metro from the SDAX.
2023
Acquire Johan i Hallen & BergfalkM&ABackground
Metro sought to strengthen specialist food wholesale and expand its presence in the Nordic region.
Action taken
Through Johbeco AB, Metro acquired Swedish meat, fish and seafood supplier Johan i Hallen & Bergfalk.
Aftermath
The acquisition supported Metro's entry into Sweden and Finland and broadened its specialist distribution capabilities.
2020
Sell Real GermanyM&ABackground
Metro had announced an intention to leave the German general-retail business and concentrate on wholesale.
Action taken
Metro sold the Real hypermarket business to the SCP Group.
Aftermath
Completion of the transaction removed the group's remaining major German hypermarket operation.
2016
Separate wholesale from consumer electronicsStrategyBackground
Metro's diversified conglomerate structure contained businesses with different customers, economics and strategic priorities.
Action taken
The group announced a split into two separately managed listed companies. Wholesale and food operations remained with the newly established Metro AG, while the electronics business became Ceconomy.
Aftermath
The separation, completed in 2017, left Metro focused primarily on professional wholesale and foodservice.
Recent events
- 2025
Metro applies for Frankfurt Stock Exchange delisting[1]
Other
Metro applied to revoke its Frankfurt Stock Exchange listing. The action would also end the company's inclusion in the SDAX once the delisting took effect.
- 2020
Metro sells Real to SCP Group[1]
M&A
Metro agreed to sell its German Real hypermarket business to the SCP Group. The transaction was completed in June 2020 and reinforced Metro's focus on wholesale.
- 2020
Metro completes sale of majority stake in Chinese wholesale venture[1]
M&A
Metro sold a majority stake in its Chinese joint venture to Wumei Technology Group while retaining a minority interest.
- 2016
Metro announces separation into wholesale and consumer-electronics companies[1]
Other
Metro Group announced a division into two independent listed companies. The wholesale and food business continued under the Metro name, while the consumer-electronics business became Ceconomy.
Sources3 sources
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