Romania’s grocery retail market in 2026 is led by Lidl Romania. Kaufland Romania follows, then the newly consolidated Mega Image–Profi group under Ahold Delhaize.
Based on FY2024 financial reporting, the sector is defined by three forces:
- hard discount dominance
- proximity expansion
- major ownership restructuring, including Carrefour’s proposed sale to Pavăl Holding
As of FY2024 reporting, Lidl Romania is the largest supermarket chain in Romania by revenue. It generated about 24.6 billion RON in turnover. This puts it ahead of Kaufland Romania and the combined Mega Image–Profi network under Ahold Delhaize.
Romania’s modern grocery retail market is concentrated but highly competitive.
The top three operators control a substantial share of total FMCG retail turnover. Discount and proximity formats are expanding faster than traditional hypermarkets.
Hard discount chains now account for a growing share of national grocery spending. Hypermarkets remain relevant for high basket value and non-food rotation.
Revenue Ranking – Largest Supermarket Chains in Romania (FY2024)
| Rank | Retailer | FY2024 Revenue (RON) | Approx. € Equivalent* | Parent Group | Core Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lidl Romania | ~24.6 bn | ~€4.9 bn | Schwarz Group | Hard Discount |
| 2 | Kaufland Romania | ~19.6 bn | ~€3.9 bn | Schwarz Group | Hypermarket |
| 3 | Profi | ~14.1 bn | ~€2.8 bn | Ahold Delhaize | Proximity |
| 4 | Carrefour Romania | ~12.5 bn | ~€2.5 bn | Sale to Pavăl Holding (pending) | Multi-format |
| 5 | Mega Image | ~10.6 bn | ~€2.1 bn | Ahold Delhaize | Urban Supermarket |
| 6 | Penny Romania | ~9.4 bn | ~€1.9 bn | REWE Group | Discount |
| 7 | Auchan Romania | ~7.7 bn | ~€1.5 bn | Auchan Group | Hyper + Proximity |
| 8 | Metro Romania | ~6.5+ bn | ~€1.3 bn | Metro AG | Cash & Carry |
| 9 | Selgros Romania | ~4.5 bn | ~€0.9 bn | Transgourmet | Cash & Carry |
| 10 | Annabella | ~1+ bn | ~€0.2 bn | Romanian-owned | Regional Supermarket |
*Currency reference approx. 1 EUR = 5 RON (average rate).
1. Lidl Romania
Lidl Romania is the largest supermarket chain in Romania by revenue in 2026.
Lidl is part of Germany’s Schwarz Group. It entered Romania in 2011 and expanded rapidly through an aggressive discount model. By FY2024, turnover reached about 24.6 billion RON.
Core Categories
- Packaged FMCG
- Fresh produce
- Private label dairy and ambient goods
- Weekly promotional non-food items
How it competes
Lidl’s operating model relies heavily on private label penetration, lean store operations and centralised logistics.
It has kept price perception leadership while expanding its footprint. This has allowed it to overtake Kaufland in turnover.
Private label brands form a structural margin engine. High SKU discipline reduces complexity while keeping turnover velocity.
2. Kaufland Romania
Kaufland remains Romania’s largest hypermarket operator and second-largest grocery retailer.
Kaufland is also owned by Schwarz Group. It generated about 19.6 billion RON in FY2024.
Kaufland was founded in Germany in 1984 and entered Romania in 2005. It runs large-format stores that combine food retail with non-food ranges.
Core Categories
- Fresh meat and produce
- Household FMCG
- Non-food seasonal promotions
- Private label portfolio
How it competes
Kaufland’s strength lies in store productivity per location. Discount operators focus on limited ranges. Kaufland instead keeps high basket size and broader category depth.
3. Profi (Ahold Delhaize Integration)
Profi is Romania’s largest proximity supermarket network by store count.
Profi was founded in Belgium in 1979 and expanded into Romania in the late 1990s. It reported about 14.1 billion RON in FY2024.
In 2024–2025, Ahold Delhaize completed the acquisition of Profi. It is integrating Profi with Mega Image operations.
Core Categories
- Neighbourhood grocery
- Fresh daily essentials
- Private label staples
- Urban convenience retail
How it competes
Profi’s value lies in density. It has thousands of stores across small towns and regional areas. This lets the chain dominate frequent-basket shopping.
4. Carrefour Romania
Carrefour Romania is the fourth-largest supermarket chain in Romania by revenue in 2026.
The company is part of France’s Carrefour Group. It entered Romania in 2001 and expanded nationally through a multi-format retail model. By FY2024, turnover reached about 12.5 billion RON.
Core Categories
- Fresh food and produce
- Packaged FMCG
- Private label grocery
- Hypermarket non-food assortments
Formats and ownership
Carrefour operates hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience formats. This gives it one of the most diversified store portfolios in the Romanian market.
The full integration and rebranding of Cora Romania strengthened its national footprint. Cora no longer operates as a separate brand.
Carrefour’s model combines large-format basket retail with proximity coverage in urban areas.
However, in 2026 the company entered exclusive talks to sell its Romanian operations to Pavăl Holding. This marks a potential ownership change, subject to regulatory approval.
5. Mega Image
Mega Image is Romania’s dominant urban supermarket chain.
Mega Image is part of Ahold Delhaize. It generated about 10.6 billion RON in FY2024.
The chain was founded in Belgium in 1995 and entered Romania in 2000. It focuses on urban density and proximity formats.
Core Categories
- Fresh food
- Premium private label
- Urban grocery assortments
The integration with Profi creates a combined entity that rivals Lidl in scale.
6. Penny Romania
Penny is Romania’s fastest-growing pure discount competitor after Lidl.
Penny is owned by Germany’s REWE Group. It reached about 9.4 billion RON in FY2024.
Core Categories
- Discount FMCG
- Fresh meat
- Private label food
- Promotional weekly offers
Penny continues to expand into secondary cities and regional towns.
7. Auchan Romania
Auchan Romania is the seventh-largest supermarket chain in Romania by revenue in 2026.
The company is part of France’s Auchan Group. It entered Romania in 2006 and expanded through large-format hypermarkets. By FY2024, turnover reached about 7.7 billion RON.
Core Categories
- Fresh food and produce
- Packaged FMCG
- Non-food seasonal assortments
- Private label grocery
Formats and strategy
Auchan operates hypermarkets alongside smaller MyAuchan urban formats. This lets it compete in both large-basket and proximity segments.
The brand keeps a strong presence in major cities while adapting to format diversification.
Auchan faces sustained pressure from hard discount operators. In response, it is optimising store formats and reducing hypermarket dependency. It is also strengthening smaller-format expansion to stay competitive in a price-driven market.
8. Metro Romania
Metro operates primarily in wholesale and Horeca supply.
Revenue exceeded 6.5 billion RON.
Metro was founded in Germany in 1964. It serves professional customers and supports franchise networks, including La Doi Pași.
Its role is structurally important for supply chain integration rather than consumer retail dominance.
9. Selgros Romania
Selgros Romania is the ninth-largest food retail operator in Romania by revenue in 2026. It operates in the cash & carry wholesale segment.
Selgros is owned by Transgourmet Holding. It entered Romania in 2001 and built a national wholesale footprint serving both professional and retail customers. By FY2024, revenue reached about 4.5 billion RON.
Core Categories
- Bulk grocery and FMCG
- Fresh meat and produce
- Horeca supply
- Private label wholesale assortments
How it competes
Selgros operates large-format cash & carry stores. They are designed for professional clients, independent retailers and foodservice operators.
Its model differs from traditional supermarkets. It focuses on volume sales and business customers rather than household basket retail.
In 2026, Selgros keeps a stable position within Romania’s wholesale food distribution segment. Its emphasis is on Horeca recovery and supply chain efficiency.
10. Annabella
Annabella is the largest fully Romanian-owned supermarket chain by revenue in 2026.
Annabella was founded in Romania in 1994. It developed as a regional retail operator before expanding through acquisitions and store network growth. By FY2024, revenue passed 1 billion RON.
Core Categories
- Fresh food and produce
- Packaged FMCG
- Private label staples
- Regional grocery assortments
How it competes
Annabella operates supermarket-format stores concentrated in regional markets. It focuses on neighbourhood accessibility and local sourcing.
The chain strengthened its position after acquiring divested stores from the Ahold Delhaize integration process.
In 2026, Annabella continues expanding its regional footprint. It is reinforcing its position as the most significant domestically owned supermarket chain in Romania.
Market Structure Analysis
Hard Discount Dominance
Lidl and Penny together represent a major share of modern grocery spending.
Price sensitivity remains a defining driver of consumer behaviour. High private label penetration improves margin resilience while keeping prices affordable.
Proximity Expansion
Mega Image and Profi’s combined footprint signals a shift toward neighbourhood formats.
Urbanisation, traffic density and frequency-based shopping favour smaller stores with daily essentials.
Hypermarket Recalibration
Kaufland remains strong, but hypermarkets face structural pressure from discount and proximity formats.
Large basket size supports revenue. But margin compression and operating costs require efficiency gains.
Ownership Realignment
Carrefour’s proposed sale to Pavăl Holding and Annabella’s expansion reflect growing domestic capital in Romanian retail.
The market remains internationally dominated but structurally fluid.
Private Label as A Structural Driver
Private label growth is a defining factor in 2026.
Operators including Lidl, Kaufland, Carrefour, and Mega Image continue expanding proprietary brands across:
- Dairy
- Ambient grocery
- Frozen products
- Household goods
Private label penetration supports gross margin improvement and competitive price positioning.
Industry Outlook 2026–2027
Romania’s grocery sector is expected to continue:
- Discount expansion
- Proximity consolidation
- Private label growth
- Operational efficiency investments
- Strategic ownership transitions
Revenue leadership is likely to remain concentrated among Lidl, Kaufland and the integrated Ahold Delhaize network.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the largest supermarket chain in Romania?
Lidl Romania is the largest supermarket chain in Romania by revenue. It generated about 24.6 billion RON in FY2024.
Who is buying Carrefour Romania?
In 2026, Carrefour entered exclusive talks to sell its Romanian operations to Pavăl Holding. The sale is subject to regulatory approval.
What is the largest Romanian-owned supermarket chain?
Annabella is the largest fully Romanian-owned supermarket chain by revenue. Its revenue passed 1 billion RON in FY2024.
Conclusion
The largest supermarket chains in Romania are led by Lidl Romania, followed by Kaufland and the integrated Mega Image–Profi group.
Hard discount dominance, proximity expansion and ownership restructuring define the competitive landscape entering 2026.
These structural shifts are reshaping the Romania FMCG environment. They influence supplier negotiations, margin architecture and Romania private label development across core categories.
They are also speeding up investment in Romania packaging. This is especially true in fresh, ambient and high-rotation grocery segments, where scale and compliance standards are rising.
Romania’s grocery market has moved from rapid expansion to structural consolidation. Scale, supply chain control and operational efficiency will determine long-term leadership.
Editor’s Note: This article is based exclusively on publicly available FY2024 financial disclosures, corporate reports, and regulatory filings. Currency conversions are approximate based on average exchange rates. No speculative data has been used.
