Vilniaus prekyba

Vilniaus prekyba, commonly known as VP Group, is a privately owned Lithuanian investment management group whose roots date to 1992. It developed from a small group of entrepreneurs involved in real-estate transactions, privatization and retail into one of the largest private business groups associated with Lithuania. Its principal role is not the operation of a single consumer-facing chain, but the ownership, coordination and strategic supervision of subsidiaries active across retail, pharmacy, e-commerce, shopping-centre development, construction and home-improvement retail, and commercial real estate. The group’s most prominent business is Maxima Grupė, which manages grocery retail operations in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Bulgaria. The network’s Lithuanian operations trade under the Maxima name, while related businesses include Stokrotka in Poland, Maxima Latvija, Maxima Eesti and Maxima Bulgaria. Maxima Grupė also owns or coordinates technology, sourcing and wholesale activities supporting its retail chains. Barbora, an online grocery business acquired by Maxima Grupė in 2017, became especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when restrictions on physical shopping accelerated demand for home delivery and online ordering. Vilniaus prekyba also controls or participates in several other major business platforms. Euroapotheca manages pharmacy retail and pharmaceutical wholesale businesses in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden and Poland, as well as the Azeta e-commerce operation in several of those markets. Akropolis Group develops and manages shopping and entertainment centres and related office and real-estate projects in Lithuania and Latvia. Its portfolio includes Akropolis centres in Vilnius, Klaipėda and Šiauliai and Akropole in Riga. Ermi Group operates home-improvement and construction-materials retail through Ermitažas in Lithuania and Bauhof in Estonia. NDX Group focuses on commercial real-estate investment. The group’s expansion followed a progression from food retail into a diversified portfolio of consumer and property businesses. Standardized grocery stores began opening in 1994, while the first Eurovaistinė pharmacy appeared in 1998. Ermitažas entered the home-improvement sector in 2004. Akropolis became part of the group in 2016, Barbora was added in 2017, and the acquisition of Bauhof in 2018 strengthened its position in Baltic do-it-yourself retail. The group also expanded its digital activities through Barbora, Azeta and the Lithuanian marketplace Trobos. Vilniaus prekyba is organized principally as an investment-management and governance centre. It evaluates subsidiary strategies, coordinates group companies, monitors assets and seeks long-term growth in their value. The wider group has also pursued social-responsibility initiatives: Maxima Grupė joined the United Nations Global Compact in 2019, and the group introduced an internal corporate-responsibility reporting system in 2020. The group is associated with operations in six countries and, according to the cited Wikipedia material, had approximately 47,000 employees across those markets. In 2025, the wider Metodika B.V. group was included in Fortune’s ranking of Europe’s 500 largest companies.

Vilniaus prekyba began forming in 1992 when nine Lithuanian entrepreneurs established the business group later nicknamed VP devintukas, or the “VP nine.” Several of the founders had met while studying medicine at Vilnius University. The early business combined real-estate transactions with participation in Lithuania’s post-Soviet privatization process, including the purchase of privatization vouchers. The group also acquired an alcoholic-beverage shop known as Urdžia before concentrating increasingly on food retail. The group opened its first standardized food stores in 1994. This retail activity developed into the Maxima network, which became the largest grocery chain in Lithuania and expanded throughout the Baltic region and into other European markets. The retail platform was subsequently organized under Maxima Grupė, which also developed shared sourcing, technology and wholesale capabilities. In Poland, the group operates through Stokrotka, while separate subsidiaries manage Maxima-branded operations in Latvia, Estonia and Bulgaria. Diversification continued beyond groceries. Eurovaistinė opened its first pharmacy in Lithuania in 1998 and was an early Lithuanian pharmacy operator to introduce customer self-service areas. The pharmacy business later expanded through Euroapotheca into Latvia, Estonia, Sweden and Poland, with related pharmaceutical wholesale and e-commerce operations. The home-improvement chain Ermitažas entered the market in 2004, broadening the group’s exposure to construction materials, home renovation and household goods. The group also developed a major property platform. Akropolis opened its first shopping and entertainment centre in Vilnius in 2002. Vilniaus prekyba acquired Akropolis Group in 2016, adding shopping-centre development, management, retail leasing and office-property activities to its portfolio. The acquisition of Barbora by Maxima Grupė in 2017 strengthened the group’s online grocery presence. In 2018, Ermi Group acquired Bauhof, described in the reference material as Estonia’s largest construction-materials retail chain at the time, making the combined platform one of the Baltic region’s largest home-improvement retailers by turnover. E-commerce became a strategic priority during the pandemic in 2020. Store closures and restrictions on physical shopping accelerated the adoption of online grocery delivery. Barbora expanded its assortment and delivery capacity, while the group’s digital businesses developed new services. In 2021, Barbora and Azeta launched online stores in Poland. In Lithuania, the group added Trobos, an online marketplace intended to let customers purchase from different stores in one transaction and receive the goods in a consolidated delivery. Today, Vilniaus prekyba functions primarily as an investment-management and coordination company. It supervises subsidiary assets, assesses business strategies, coordinates group activities and represents portfolio companies. Its principal platforms span grocery and online retail, pharmacies and pharmaceutical distribution, shopping and entertainment centres, do-it-yourself retail, and commercial real estate. The group’s social-responsibility activities include support for non-governmental organizations and public-benefit projects. Maxima Grupė joined the United Nations Global Compact in 2019, and the group introduced an internal corporate-responsibility reporting system in 2020. The wider Metodika B.V. group was listed in Fortune’s 2025 ranking of Europe’s 500 largest companies, according to the cited reference material.

• 2025

  Metodika group appears in Fortune ranking

  [1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  The wider Metodika B.V. group was reported as listed in Fortune’s ranking of Europe’s 500 largest companies.

• 2021

  Expansion of online services in Poland

  [1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  Barbora and Azeta launched online stores in Poland, while Trobos was added as a Lithuanian multi-store marketplace.

• 2020

  Pandemic accelerates e-commerce

  [1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  The group expanded online grocery services and delivery capacity as pandemic restrictions changed shopping behavior.

• 2019

  United Nations Global Compact membership

  [1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  Maxima Grupė joined the United Nations Global Compact initiative.

• 2018

  Bauhof acquisition

  [1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  Ermi Group acquired Estonia’s Bauhof construction and home-improvement retail chain.

• 2017

  Barbora joins the group

  [1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  Maxima Grupė acquired the Barbora online grocery business.

• 2016

  Acquisition of Akropolis Group

  [1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  Vilniaus prekyba acquired Akropolis Group, expanding its property and shopping-centre platform.

• 2004

  Ermitažas enters home improvement

  [1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  The Ermitažas home-improvement retail network was established.

• 2002

  First Akropolis centre opens

  [1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  The first Akropolis shopping and entertainment centre opened in Vilnius.

• 1998

  Entry into pharmacy retail

  [1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  The first Eurovaistinė pharmacy opened in Lithuania, introducing self-service areas to the Lithuanian pharmacy market.

• 1994

  First standardized food stores

  [1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  The group opened its first food-retail stores built around a common operating and store format.

• 1992

  Formation of the group

  [1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  Nine Lithuanian entrepreneurs began forming the business group that became known as Vilniaus prekyba or VP Group.

A privately owned, diversified investment group built around large-scale consumer retail platforms and complementary real-estate and service businesses in the Baltic and Central and Eastern European markets.

• Grocery retail

  Maxima Grupė

  Maxima Grupė is the group’s principal grocery-retail platform. It manages Maxima-branded supermarket operations in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Bulgaria, as well as Stokrotka in Poland. The platform also includes centralized sourcing, private-label development, wholesale functions and technology services for affiliated retail chains.

• Pharmacy and pharmaceutical services · 1998

  Euroapotheca

  Euroapotheca is an international pharmacy and pharmaceutical-business platform operating through Eurovaistinė in Lithuania, Euroaptieka in Latvia, Euroapteek in Estonia, A. poteksgruppen in Sweden and Euro-Apteka in Poland. It also has pharmaceutical wholesale and digital-commerce activities, including the Azeta online retail business.

• Shopping and entertainment centres · 2002

  Akropolis Group

  Akropolis Group develops and manages large shopping and entertainment centres, together with related retail and office real estate. Its portfolio includes Akropolis centres in Vilnius, Klaipėda and Šiauliai in Lithuania and Akropole in Riga, Latvia.

• Online grocery retail

  Barbora

  Barbora is an online grocery and home-delivery business acquired by Maxima Grupė in 2017. It expanded its assortment and delivery capacity during the pandemic and later entered Poland alongside its established Baltic operations.

• Home-improvement retail · 2004

  Ermi Group

  Ermi Group operates in construction materials, home improvement, household goods and related e-commerce. Its retail businesses include Ermitažas in Lithuania and Bauhof in Estonia, which joined the group through the 2018 acquisition.

• Commercial real estate

  NDX Group

  NDX Group is the group’s commercial-real-estate investment platform, with activities focused on the Baltic region.

• 2020Pandemic delivery and employment response

  Lithuania · Latvia · Estonia · Poland · Bulgaria

  As pandemic restrictions disrupted physical retail, Barbora expanded online assortment and home-delivery capacity. Group companies also offered temporary work to people unable to perform their usual jobs.

  Outcome. The pandemic accelerated the group’s e-commerce development and increased the operational importance of online grocery delivery.

  Source
• 2019United Nations Global Compact participation

  Lithuania

  Maxima Grupė joined the United Nations Global Compact as part of the group’s broader social-responsibility agenda.

  Outcome. The group subsequently described additional internal corporate-responsibility reporting activity in 2020.

  Source

• 2021

  Expansion of Barbora and Azeta into PolandProduct launch

  Background

  The group continued developing e-commerce after the pandemic-driven increase in online shopping.

  Action taken

  Barbora and Azeta launched online stores in Poland, while Trobos introduced a Lithuanian multi-store marketplace model.

  Aftermath

  The group broadened its digital footprint and offered additional routes for customers to order goods from multiple retail businesses.

  Source

• 2018

  Acquisition of BauhofM&A

  Background

  The group aimed to expand its home-improvement and construction-materials retail presence in the Baltic region.

  Action taken

  UAB Ermi Group acquired Bauhof Group AS in Estonia.

  Aftermath

  The combined business became one of the largest Baltic home-improvement retail groups by turnover, according to the cited reference material.

  Source

• 2017

  Acquisition of BarboraM&A

  Background

  The group was expanding from traditional supermarket retail into online grocery commerce.

  Action taken

  Maxima Grupė acquired the Barbora online grocery business.

  Aftermath

  Barbora became a major digital-retail platform within the group and expanded its delivery services during the pandemic.

  Source

• 2016

  Acquisition of Akropolis GroupM&A

  Background

  The group sought to strengthen its presence in shopping-centre development, retail property and related real-estate management.

  Action taken

  Vilniaus prekyba acquired Akropolis Group.

  Aftermath

  The transaction added major shopping and entertainment centres and associated property operations to the group’s portfolio.

  Source

• 2025

  Metodika group enters Fortune ranking of Europe’s largest companies[1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Metodika B.V. group, which includes Vilniaus prekyba, was reported as appearing in Fortune’s ranking of the 500 largest companies in Europe.

• 2021

  Barbora and Azeta launch online stores in Poland[1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The group’s e-commerce businesses extended their operations into Poland through new Barbora and Azeta online stores.

• 2020

  Vilniaus prekyba expands its digital retail activity during the pandemic[1]Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org

  Other · Product generation

  COVID-19 restrictions increased demand for delivery and online shopping. Barbora expanded its assortment and delivery capacity, while the group provided temporary employment opportunities to people whose normal work had been disrupted.

1. 1Vilniaus prekybaen.wikipedia.org