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Schwarz Group: Strong increase in sales and 20,000 new jobs in 2024!
The Schwarz Group will grow by 4.9% in 2024 and create 20,000 new jobs. Investments increase to 9.6 billion euros.
Schwarz Group: Strong increase in sales and 20,000 new jobs in 2024!
The Schwarz Group, one of the leading trading groups in Europe, recently published its financial figures for 2024. The company's total sales rose by 4.9 percent to 175.4 billion euros. Despite difficult global challenges, all business areas recorded growth. The success was particularly driven by the discounter brand Lidl, which was able to increase its sales by 5.3 percent to 132.1 billion euros. Kaufland, another Schwarz Group brand, also achieved growth of 2.9 percent to 35.2 billion euros.
The focus of the positive development is also on the creation of jobs. The Schwarz Group was able to create around 20,000 new jobs and now employs a total of 595,000 people worldwide. This expansion is also reflected in investments, which increased by 7.5 percent to 8.6 billion euros in the 2024 financial year. Of this, 3.3 billion euros flow in Germany. For 2025, the Schwarz Group plans to increase investments to 9.6 billion euros, with 3.7 billion euros to be invested in Germany.
Sales development and competition
It is particularly noteworthy that the Schwarz Group, with its sales growth of 8.5 percent to 167.2 billion euros in the 2023/24 financial year, remained below the food inflation rate in the EU of 12.6 percent. This shows high efficiency and manufacturing expertise in a challenging market. In comparison, the Rewe Group achieved sales of 92.3 billion euros with growth of 8.9 percent, while Tesco generated almost 80 billion euros with 5 percent growth. Aldi positions itself between these sizes, but exact figures are not available.
The concept of low prices and efficient cost management continues to be at the forefront at Lidl and Kaufland. While Lidl increased its branches by 200 compared to previous years, the restructuring of international purchasing fell short of expectations. Nevertheless, preparations are underway for expansion in Bosnia and North Macedonia.
Online commerce and sustainability
In the area of online business, the Schwarz Group reported stable sales of 1.7 billion euros, which remained constant compared to the previous year. The digital solutions from Schwarz Digits contribute to the stability of the company and ensure its digital independence, which means that sales in this sector also remain stable at 1.9 billion euros.
Another highlight of the Schwarz Group is the PreZero segment, which focuses on the circular economy and increased its sales by 5.4 percent to 3.9 billion euros. New production capacities in the nut roasting plant in Rheine and a beverage plant in Derby (UK) support the company's growth strategy, which is committed to sustainable growth.
In summary, it can be said that the Schwarz Group is well positioned despite market challenges and inflationary developments. However, the future prospects for the food retail sector remain tense, as the “State of Grocery 2025” study by McKinsey & Company and EuroCommerce makes clear. This predicts that 55% of food retail executives expect stability in 2025, while 29% fear deterioration.