Metro Cash & Carry
An international cash-and-carry wholesale brand serving professional customers, especially hospitality, foodservice, and independent retail businesses.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Metro Cash & Carry is the principal wholesale format associated with Germany’s METRO AG. It operates large cash-and-carry warehouses and related digital and delivery services for professional customers rather than primarily for household shoppers. Its customer base includes restaurants, hotels, caterers, canteens, independent retailers, traders, and other small and medium-sized businesses. The format combines self-service purchasing from warehouse-style stores with business-oriented assortment planning, bulk pack sizes, professional pricing, and services designed around frequent replenishment. The business began in 1964 when the first Metro wholesale center opened in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany. The founding group included Otto Beisheim, Erwin Conradi, and Herbert Geis. The concept was influenced by American-style wholesale and was designed to give commercial customers direct access to a broad range of food and non-food merchandise. It differed from conventional grocery retail by requiring customer registration or proof of business activity in many markets and by focusing on larger pack formats, commercial quantities, and trade customers. Metro expanded beyond Germany during the 1970s and 1980s, establishing a significant international presence in Europe and later entering markets in Asia and other regions. Local operations have generally adapted the assortment to national cuisines, business practices, regulations, and customer structures while retaining the core cash-and-carry model. The brand has also operated under local names or through market-specific subsidiaries in some countries. Its assortment typically includes fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, seafood, dairy, chilled and frozen foods, ambient groceries, beverages, wine and spirits, cleaning products, catering supplies, professional kitchen equipment, household goods, office products, and selected technical or seasonal merchandise. Fresh food and hospitality-related products are particularly important to its positioning. In addition to warehouse purchasing, METRO has developed delivery businesses, online ordering, customer data tools, digital marketplaces, and other omnichannel services intended to help professional customers source goods efficiently. The brand is part of METRO AG, whose strategy has increasingly emphasized the wholesale needs of hotels, restaurants, caterers, and independent retailers. METRO AG also owns or operates other professional wholesale and foodservice activities, including delivery-oriented businesses, but the Metro Cash & Carry warehouse remains the group’s best-known format. The group has exited or reorganized selected countries over time, so the precise country footprint and operating model change as portfolio decisions are made. Metro Cash & Carry is positioned between traditional wholesale distribution and modern retail. It offers breadth and immediate product availability through self-service warehouses, while its delivery, digital ordering, and account-management capabilities seek to provide the convenience expected by professional buyers. Its competitive environment includes national cash-and-carry operators, foodservice distributors, wholesale clubs, broadline distributors, and increasingly digital business-to-business marketplaces.
History
Metro Cash & Carry originated in Germany in 1964 with the opening of the first Metro wholesale center in Mülheim an der Ruhr. Otto Beisheim, Erwin Conradi, and Herbert Geis developed a large-format self-service wholesale concept aimed at commercial buyers. Instead of relying on ordinary household shopping, the model focused on registered professional customers purchasing food and non-food goods in commercial quantities. The format grew during the following decades and became a foundation of the wider METRO business. Expansion across Europe introduced the concept to different national markets, where product ranges and operating practices were adjusted to local demand. The stores served restaurants, hotels, caterers, independent grocers, traders, and institutional customers, giving these businesses access to broad assortments without requiring them to maintain extensive supplier networks. As METRO developed internationally, the cash-and-carry format became associated with warehouse-scale stores, professional pricing, business membership, and large-pack merchandise. Fresh food, beverages, meat, seafood, and catering supplies were central to the offer, while non-food categories broadened the destination value of the stores. In several markets, local subsidiaries and partnerships supported the brand’s expansion and adaptation. The business later supplemented physical wholesale centers with delivery operations and digital tools. These changes reflected the purchasing patterns of hospitality and foodservice customers, who often value scheduled delivery, product availability, dependable fresh-food sourcing, and simplified procurement as much as store access. METRO’s current strategy places professional customers at the center of its wholesale model and seeks to combine self-service, delivery, and online ordering. The brand’s corporate context changed as METRO AG reorganized its portfolio and separated wholesale activities from businesses that were no longer central to its professional-customer strategy. Country operations have consequently changed over time through expansion, divestment, restructuring, or market exits. The Metro Cash & Carry name nevertheless remains the group’s principal international warehouse-wholesale identity. It competes with traditional wholesalers, foodservice distributors, warehouse clubs, national cash-and-carry chains, and business-to-business e-commerce platforms.
- 2020
Wholesale transformation accelerates
[2]The group expands attention to delivery, digital ordering, and omnichannel services as professional customers increasingly combine store purchasing with delivered procurement.
- 2017
METRO AG becomes focused on wholesale
[1]Following the separation of the former consumer-electronics business, METRO AG concentrates more clearly on food wholesale and professional customers.
- 1971
International expansion begins
[1]Metro begins developing its wholesale presence outside Germany, supporting the later creation of a broad European network.
- 1964
First Metro wholesale center opens
[1]The first Metro cash-and-carry wholesale center opens in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, establishing the professional-customer warehouse model.
- 1964
Founding of the Metro wholesale concept
[1]Otto Beisheim, Erwin Conradi, and Herbert Geis are associated with the creation of the original Metro wholesale business.
Products and positioning
A professional wholesale partner for hospitality, foodservice, independent retail, and other business customers, combining warehouse purchasing with delivery and digital procurement services.
Wholesale retail · 1964
Cash-and-carry wholesale centers
Large-format Metro warehouses provide registered professional customers with self-service access to food and non-food merchandise. The stores are designed around commercial quantities, broad selection, professional pack sizes, and frequent replenishment. Assortments differ by country but commonly include fresh food, beverages, ambient groceries, catering supplies, cleaning products, and equipment.
Food wholesale · 1964
Fresh food assortment
Fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, and chilled products are core parts of the professional wholesale offer. These categories are especially relevant to restaurants, hotels, caterers, and independent food businesses that need dependable supply and a range of pack sizes suited to commercial kitchens.
Professional supplies · 1964
Foodservice and non-food supplies
The non-food range supports professional operations with kitchen equipment, tableware, cleaning and hygiene products, storage goods, packaging, office items, and selected seasonal merchandise. These products allow hospitality and retail customers to consolidate more of their procurement through one wholesale supplier.
B2B commerce services
METRO delivery and digital ordering
METRO supplements warehouse shopping with delivery services, online ordering, digital customer accounts, and other business-to-business tools. Availability and branding vary by market. The services are intended to make replenishment easier for hospitality, foodservice, and independent retail customers that cannot always shop in person.
Brand decisions
2020
Expansion of omnichannel wholesale servicesStrategyBackground
Professional customers increasingly required delivery, digital ordering, and flexible procurement alongside physical warehouse shopping.
Action taken
METRO continued developing delivery businesses, online ordering, and digital services around its wholesale stores and customer accounts.
Aftermath
The brand’s operating model increasingly combined cash-and-carry stores with delivery and digital channels.
2017
Refocus on food wholesale and professional customersStrategyBackground
After the separation of the former consumer-electronics activities, METRO AG was left with a clearer wholesale identity centered on food, hospitality, foodservice, and independent business customers.
Action taken
The group organized its continuing business around wholesale operations, including the Metro Cash & Carry format and related delivery activities.
Aftermath
The strategic profile of the Metro brand became more closely associated with professional food and non-food wholesale rather than general consumer retail.
Recent events
IKEA launches its online store in Ukraine[3]
Reported:
IKEA officially launched online ordering in Ukraine on May 14, offering customers a range of home goods through its online store and providing order pickup points in Kyiv.
Sources5 sources
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