58 organic supermarkets and specialist stores opened in 2009

In 2009, 27 new organic specialist stores (200 m² - 400 m²) and 31 organic supermarkets (over 400 m²) were opened – including 14 relocations with expansion of the sales area. At the beginning of 2009 there were around 550 organic stores, specialist stores and organic supermarkets in Germany with retail space exceeding 200 m². From 2000 to 2008 the number of new organic supermarkets each year was between 25 and 83. (Graphic: Statistics of new openings since 2000)
In 2008, 71 new organic specialist stores and organic supermarkets were launched – including 13 relocations with an expansion of retail space. By the end of 2008, new retail space amounted to 37,250 m². The figure takes into account space lost through closures.

In 2009, the number of new stores (58) was just under 20 % less, with 30 new openings by the chains (52 %) almost catching up with the 28 owner-managed stores (48 %). Alnatura, Denn’s Bio et al. accounted for about 61 % (2008: 59 %) of the newly created retail space (15,575 m²).

The total new retail space in the 58 stores came to 25,485 m², with the calculation including the loss of old retail space in the case of relocation. So the total is 12,000 m² less than the year before. Added to this figure is the loss of 5,375 m² caused by closures, with three e.o. stores alone accounting for 1,380 m². Three of the previously six e.o. stores are continuing to operate under the new name “Kompledo AG”. This company has launched one additional store.

The Vitalia Group, to which Bio B. and the Bio-Family/Vitalia health food shops belong, is not included in the current statistics, because the situation of the chain is still uncertain and the company is insolvent (see our earlier report).

The average retail space per new organic specialist store or organic supermarket was 476 m², which is about 15 % smaller than the previous year (560 m²). For years, the average retail space in new stores has been between 400 m ² and 600 m². Whilst it has risen slightly over a number of years, last year saw a downturn. Some entrepreneurs may have thought that a smaller retail space would mean a lower burden of cost and the risk would be correspondingly reduced. The interesting point is that there is now no great difference between the retail space of the chains and the independents.

If we look at the picture across the federal states of Germany, we see that for 2009 Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria were in the lead with14 new specialist stores each. Then came Hessen (six), Berlin (four) and Nordrhein-Westfalen (four). Hamburg, Niedersachsen and Schleswig-Holstein each had three new openings. Bremen and Rheinland-Pfalz had two each and Brandenburg, the Saarland and Sachsen each had one.

Ten organic supermarkets opened in Germany in October and ten in November. That is statistically two and a half per week. In the spring of 2009, when many of these stores were in the planning phase, in their minds companies had obviously already dismissed the economic and financial crisis.

Conclusion:
The economic crisis and the diminishing growth rates in the specialist trade clearly had an impact on the efforts of the industry to expand by opening new stores. However, this effect was not quite as powerful as had been anticipated at the beginning of 2009. It is pleasing to note that there were not more insolvencies in the increasingly contended organic market. The Vitalia bankruptcy cannot be attributed to the economic crisis. The simple fact is that an experienced businessman misjudged the situation and focused to an unrealistic degree on expansion.
With regard to the distribution across the federal states, there is – as so often – a clear north-south and east-west disparity. Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria continue to be among the organic strongholds, with the east of the country belonging to the diaspora that has a lot of catching up to do.

Liste of the new organic specialist stores and organic supermarkets 2009:

NAME	DATE	SPACA	TOWN
Denn's Bio	January	650 m²	Worms
Löwenzahn	January	400 m²	Müllheim
Biosfair	February	900 m²	Nagold
Bio Company	February	350 m²	Hamburg
Gmünder Lädle	March	320 m²	Schwäbisch Gmünd
Basic	March	680 m²	München
SuperBioMarkt	March	580 m²	Bergisch-Gladbach
Biomarkt Vitalis	March	220 m²	Lüneburg
Alnatura	March	615 m²	Filderstadt
ebl	March	300 m²	Nürnberg
Biomarkt Wiesloch	April	500 m²	Wiesloch
Macis	April	380 m²	Leipzig
Grünkern	April	250 m²	Ahrensburg
Biomarkt Hauser	April	370 m²	Lauchringen
Naturkost Schwarz	April	580 m²	Wetzlar
viv	May	395 m²	Berlin
Auwald Bio	May	300 m²	Rosenheim
Biotop	June	200 m²	Crailsheim
Denn's Bio	June	400 m²	Herzogenaurach
Aleco	June	225 m²	Bremen
Alnatura	June	530 m²	Alsbach-Hähnlein
Regenbogen	June	300 m²	Arnsberg
Naturwarenmarkt	July	680 m²	Lübeck
Vollcorner	July	200 m²	München
Denn's Bio	July	700 m²	Bamberg
Alnatura	July	700 m²	Berlin
Elisa Biowelt	August	680 m²	Schulzendorf
Alnatura	September	730 m²	Frankfurt
Bio Bäuerin	September	240 m²	Gronsdorf/Haar
Fischer-Mühle	September	240 m²	Fellbach
Alnatura	September	500 m²	München
ebl	September	900 m²	Zirndorf
Denn's Bio	September	420 m²	Würzburg
Denn's Bio	September	520 m²	Frankfurt
Envita	October	1000 m²	Weiterstadt
Alnatura	October	470 m²	Berlin
Bio Company	October	320 m²	Hamburg
Himmel & Erde	October	400 m²	Rendsburg
LPG	October	500 m²	Berlin
Denn's Bio	October	640 m²	Braunschweig
Rinklin Biomarkt	October	300 m²	Eichstetten
Denn's Bio	October	860 m²	Göppingen
Alnatura	October	670 m²	Bremen
Dinkel Ähre	October	520 m²	Neumarkt
Tjaden's BioFrischeMarkt	November	600 m²	Hamburg
Biofair	November	515 m²	Trostberg
Biowelt März	November	250 m²	München
Alnatura	November	700 m²	Regensburg
Organix	November	600 m²	Stuttgart
Sesslermühle	November	300 m²	Renningen
Bioladen Stüben	November	300 m²	Soltau
Denn's Bio´/Füllhorn	November	480 m²	Mühlacker
BioFrischMarkt	November	350 m²	Riegelsberg
Temma	November	800 m²	Köln
Biobauernmarkt Reiser	December	200 m²	Waldbronn-Reichenbach
Grüneburger Bioladen	December	200 m²	Frankfurt
BioFrischMarkt	December	350 m²	Pirmasens
SuperBioMarkt	December	600 m²	Münster