German Dennree Group grows by 15 percent

In 2015 the dennree group achieved consolidated net turnover of €820m, 110 million more than in the previous year. The increase in turnover of around 15% is one percentage point higher than in 2014. As we can see from the annual report the number of employees has grown significantly from 3,500 to 4,600 in their wholesale and retail businesses. Dennree  currently has 280 trainees. The number of retail outlets has also seen positive development, growing by 32 new denn’s Biomarkt stores in Germany and 4 in Austria. By the end of 2015 dennree was operating 192 stores in Germany and 21 in Austria. In addition, the company supported 20 new openings and relocations to bigger premises within the BioMarkt Network that has over 260 members.

Even more storage space in Töpen and becoming involved in agriculture

The company is again investing in expansion of its headquarters in Töpen. After the 25,000 square metre warehouse began operating in 2014 work began on a further 7,500 square metres of storage space in September 2015 for dry goods, empties and recyclable materials. Denree has also pointed out that office jobs have been created in the new two-storey building. Investment in the Töpen site came to ca. €6m in 2015.

In August 2015 dennree took over Agrar Holding GmbH domiciled in Eichigt/Vogtland. The company network operates three farms (4,000 ha) with suckler cow keeping, extensively managed pasturing, milk production, fodder crops and food crops. The land will be gradually converted to organic. “We’ve got years of conversion ahead of us before we can successfully operate as organic farms. Eichigt will become an important component in the dennree group that will help us to accumulate experience and knowledge of agriculture,” is how Thomas Greim explains why they took this step. The farms employ 100 people and every year four apprentices are trained in farming and animal husbandry.

BioMarkt Future Foundation: 90,377 euros for organic agriculture

Over 260 independent organic retailers in the BioMarkt Network together with the dennree group are involved in the BioMarkt Future Foundation with the aim of strengthening and developing organic agriculture. In 2015, it generated €90,377. Dennree explains that the foundation was set up in 2013 and brings under one roof fundraising, donations and campaigns to promote initiatives that practice organic land management, train people and carry out research that benefits organic agriculture and the specialist wholefood trade.