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Kaufland runs large hypermarkets and discount-style stores across Europe, selling food, household goods, and electronics to everyday shoppers.
Kaufland is one of Europe's big grocery chains. It runs large stores that sit somewhere between a supermarket and a hypermarket — you can walk in for milk and bread and walk out with a frying pan, a winter jacket, and a cheap tablet. The formula is simple: lots of stuff, low prices, and a store big enough that you can do your whole week's shopping in one trip.
The company is part of the Schwarz Group, a privately held German retail giant that also owns the discount chain Lidl. Kaufland is the bigger-store sibling: while Lidl competes on stripped-down discount shopping, Kaufland offers a wider range — fresh food, household items, clothing, and electronics under one roof. The stores are typically large, often over 10,000 square meters, and they anchor shopping centers in Germany, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova. The parent group is one of the largest retailers in the world by revenue, though it keeps a famously low profile and publishes little about itself. Kaufland makes money the way most grocers do: it buys goods in huge volumes, marks them up modestly, and relies on high turnover and efficient logistics to earn a thin but steady profit. Its scale gives it bargaining power with suppliers, and its private-label brands — products made for Kaufland and sold under its own names — carry better margins than branded goods. Customers choose it because the prices are low and the range is broad; a family can buy groceries, cleaning supplies, and a new kettle without driving to three different stores.
The business faces real pressure. Discount grocers like Aldi and its own sibling Lidl keep squeezing prices, while online rivals and changing shopping habits pull some customers away from big-box stores. Kaufland has responded by expanding in Eastern Europe, where its large-format stores still have room to grow, and by investing in its own brands and store renovations. As a private company owned by the Schwarz family, it doesn't answer to public shareholders, which lets it take a long view — but it also means outsiders get only glimpses of how well it's really doing.
Saved answer · last researched 15 Nov 2026