Globus

Globus completed the acquisition of Real Group’s German hypermarket business from Metro AG-spinoff parent and SCP Group between 2021 and 2022, integrating 24 former Real hypermarkets into the Globus banner across Germany. The integration significantly expanded Globus’s German market position and marked one of the largest German grocery transactions of the decade, completing a multi-year carve-out process that began with Metro AG’s 2018 announcement of the Real sale. Globus subsequently sold its Russian operations (10 hypermarkets across Moscow region and Central Russia) to local management in 2023, completing a full exit from the Russian market.

Globus is owned by the Bruch family (sixth generation of family control) through Globus SB-Warenhaus Holding GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in St. Wendel, Saarland, with the brand continuously family-controlled since founding in 1828 by Franz Bruch as a colonial goods trading company. The transition to large-format hypermarket retail occurred in 1966 with the launch of the first Globus SB-Warenhaus near St. Wendel, pioneering the German hypermarket format. Stores typically run 8,000 to 15,000 square meters with an unusually broad assortment of approximately 100,000 SKUs per store spanning food, non-food, electronics, household goods, garden, and apparel categories. In-house meat processing and bakery operations are differentiating brand investments versus competitor Kaufland.

Globus operates approximately 65 hypermarkets in Germany (the largest market, including the post-Real acquisition expansion) and 15 hypermarkets in the Czech Republic following the Russia exit, with approximately 50,000 employees across the group. The brand reaches consumers through directly run hypermarket retail (the predominant format), Globus Baumarkt DIY stores (a separate banner), Alphatecc consumer electronics specialty stores, and growing e-commerce capability. For mall operators, Globus is a large-format hypermarket anchor counterparty for retail park, power center, and mixed-use development positions rather than enclosed mall mainline placements, with leasing decisions routed through Globus SB-Warenhaus Holding’s St. Wendel commercial team for German operations and the Prague regional office for Czech operations.