When it comes to supermarkets, Austria is a highly competitive place. Apart from Spar, REWE and Hofer, a new player might soon be involved.
A little more than a third of Austrians buy groceries from Spar, a little less in the Billa stores of the REWE Group. A quarter is accounted for by discounters Hofer and Lidl, there is not much room left for the other chains. However, Austria lags behind in one segment.
We are talking regarding smaller shops that attract with long opening hours and a wide range of food. This is exactly the model of the US group 7-Eleven. The basic premise of the chain was to be open every day from seven in the morning until eleven in the evening. In the United States, Asia and many other countries, the shops have become an integral part of the street scene.
Franchisees wanted
According to the “Lebensmittelzeitung”, this should soon be the case in other countries. Branches are also to be set up in Austria and Germany. There are currently around 83,000 branches worldwide. 60,000 are in East Asia alone, 14,000 in North America. In Europe they are isolated in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
When exactly the expansion will start and how many supermarkets will be built in Austria is not yet known. 7-Eleven is currently still looking for franchisees, according to a call on the company’s website. In addition to Austria and Germany, the US company wants to penetrate the markets in France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey and Great Britain.
Fast food and long opening hours
The rather smaller 7-Eleven shops offer everyday goods, including groceries, magazines, tobacco products and drinks. But recently there has also been a selection of pre-prepared food such as burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs and salads, and sometimes there are even freshly prepared pizzas.
