♦ The Germans have the first two players domestically as businesses – Lidl and Kaufland, and from this year they also control the majority stake in the La Cocoş hyperdiscount chain.The German Schwarz group, the largest actor in European retail, approached the threshold of 10 billion euros (50 billion lei) in business in Romania in 2025, thus controlling about a quarter of the local food trade, according to calculations made by ZF. The Germans are, by far, the biggest player in the Romanian trade, today they control three different businesses. More precisely, the giant has the first two domestic players as businesses – Lidl and Kaufland, and from this year it also owns the majority stake in the La Cocoş hyperdiscount chain. Each of the three chains is operated separately, on one or more distinct legal entities. You may also be interested: Each of the three store chains has its own business model. More precisely, Lidl is a discounter, Kaufland has hypermarkets with low prices, and La Cocoş has bet on the hyperdiscount segment, which has taken shape more strongly in recent years. And the evolution of the three retailers is different in a 2025 marked by tax increases, presidential elections in Romania and global geopolitical challenges. Therefore, Lidl’s business grew by 10% locally, those of Kaufland with 7%, and La Cocoş announced a 28% increase.
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