Real

With more than 34,000 employees and 279 stores, Real is one of Germany’s leading hypermarket operators. Real stores offer a wide assortment that includes both food and several non-food product categories.

Real’s declared goal is to sustainably increase its customer relevance in the coming years. Real is pursuing the strategic repositioning of its business model with full force. One key area of the overall strategy for Real is the continued development of promising sales channels, for example the online marketplace and the click-and-collect service. Another key area is the extensive optimisation of Real’s existing store network.

Strategic priorities

• Customer orientation: The product range and services offered by Real are systematically geared to the preferences and requirements of its customers. This is accompanied by the modernisation and redevelopment of the hypermarket stores with the aim of increasing the productivity per square metre. This also includes Real continuing to drive the implementation of the ‘Markthalle’-concept which is a hybrid-store concept that combines customer focus with the benefits of large floor plans and is geared to the specific requirements of retail customers today and in the future. The vision is to present customers with a unique shopping experience. This is why the successful concept implemented at Markthalle Krefeld will be rolled out in additional stores, for example the completely redeveloped Markthalle Braunschweig which reopened in October 2018. The concept takes into account both emotional and rational customer wishes and is very well received by the customers.
• Selected investments: Real is making selected investments to establish itself as an omnichannel retailer, strengthen its ultra-fresh categories and further expand its procurement partnerships and joint venture projects. One of them is the RTG Retail Trade Group which is utilised by Real, one of the project’s founding members, to significantly improve its competitiveness. Tegut became the 7th member of RTG in June 2018.
• Omnichannel presence: Following the integration of Hitmeister, Real.de has developed into a successful online marketplace that offers its customers a huge selection from among more than 12 million products. The platform can also be used by external retailers to market their products online. Customers also have the opportunity to use the click-and-collect service at Real’s online grocery store and pick up their online purchases from one of 16 stores. Customers in 15 cities can also have their shopping delivered directly to their homes. This prepares the company for an expected growth in demand concerning the e-commerce segment.
• Increase of cost efficiency: Real has streamlined its management structures, utilised synergies within the group and repositioned its core functions. The company is also restructuring its administration and relocating certain functions to concentrate them at the head office in Düsseldorf. The objective is to establish structures that are efficient and offer good working conditions, including competitive salary structures. In mid-2018, Real created the prerequisites for a new collective bargaining partnership outside the HDE structures (association of German retailers) by terminating the future collective agreement concluded in 2016 with Verdi. The effect of spinning off the business of Real SB-Warenhaus GmbH to real GmbH is that new collective agreements negotiated between DHV – Die Berufsgewerkschaft e. V. and AHD – Unternehmensvereinigung für Arbeitsbedingungen im Handel und Dienstleistungsgewerbe e. V. are now in place. This strengthens the future viability of Real’s business model.