Kaufland is one of the few retailers in this country that have not tried this format yet, as its direct rivals Auchan and Cora are already operating several such stores. A hypermarket in a shopping center requires a lower investment, no more than EUR5 million, because the space has already been built. Then there is also guaranteed traffic.
A standalone Kaufland store costs EUR7 million to EUR10 million, which includes the price of land. Kaufland has preferred to buy the land it builds its stores on since entering the market. The actual construction cost is EUR750 to EUR800 per square meter.
The company plans to open its next stores in Romania in Bucharest and Galati (SE of the country). It has 85 stores in this country, four of which opened in 2013 out of the eight or nine planned for the entire year.
Kaufland, one of the lowest-profile local retailers, posted EUR1.31 billion revenue in 2011, according to the latest available data, 18% higher than in the previous year and more than 50% higher than in 2009.
If sales per store remained the same, the German-held retailer posted EUR1.5 billion revenue last year. Kaufland’s sales per store have been relatively constant at EUR18 million to EUR19 million a year.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)