Introduction

"With the METRO Cash & Carry stores operated under the METRO and Makro (only in Europe) brand names, METRO Group is the world market leader in the Cash & Carry wholesale business. €31.7 billioin 2007.METRO Cash & Carry is an important growth engine of the METRO Group. With its presence in 29 countries, this sales division also shows the highest degree of internationality. Worldwide 90500 people worked for METRO Cash & Carry in 2005. METRO Cash & Carry International GmbH in Duesseldorf, Germany, is the management holding company steering the global business.

Focus on Professional Customers

The term "Cash & Carry" means that professional customers do their own order picking in the warehouse type, "no frills" stores, pay in cash and carry the merchandise away. The advantages over traditional delivery wholesale operations are the better price/performance rate, the scope of the food and nonfood assortments, the immediate availability of the merchandise and the longer business hours per week. The stores each offer a food assortment of up to 17,000 items as well as some 30,000 items in the nonfood segment. Particularly strong is the fresh food offer, comprising fruits/vegetables, fresh fish, meat and dairy products.
METRO Cash & Carry's target customers range from Gastronomy and Hotels, Food and Nonfood Trader to Service Businesses and large institutional Buyers. They find the bulk packaging sizes to accommodate their particular professional needs.