71 new organic supermarkets and specialist organic stores opened in 2008

In 2008, eleven new specialist organic stores (200 – 400 m²) and 60 organic supermarkets (< 400 m²) opened their doors – including 13 removals to bigger premises with more retail space. At the beginning of 2009 there are more than 500 specialist organic stores/organic supermarkets in Germany with retail space in excess of 200 m². Each year since 2000 has seen the launch of between 25 and 83 organic supermarkets.

(Graphic: The number of new openings in 2008 equals the average for the last three years)
In 2007, 83 new specialist organic stores and organic supermarkets were launched – including 18 removals to new premises with more retail space. By the end of 2007, 39,637 m² of new retail space had been created (loss of area through closures is included in the data).

In terms of new openings in 2008 the chains, with 38 new stores (54 %), were well ahead of the 33 owner-managed stores (46 %). The percentage distribution was almost the reverse of 2007 (see graphic). Alnatura, Basic, Denn’s Bio and the other chains accounted for approximately 59 % (2007: 64 %) of the new retail space (totalling around 22,000 m²).

By the end of the year, 37,250 m² of retail space in 71 large-scale stores had been created (after factoring in loss of old space through moving to new premises). In 2008, for the first time a considerable loss of organic supermarket area was caused by the closure of unprofitable stores. During last year we saw something that in recent years had occurred only sporadically, namely a large store closing just a year or two after opening or a chain being forced to larger-scale restructuring. Thus to loss of retail space through moving to new premises can be added a further loss of around 5,000 m², with the closure of four Basic stores alone accounting for 2,660 m² and Erdkorn for another 1,870 m². (Graphic: new retail space declined slightly in 2008 compared with 2007, but the figure is still much higher than in all previous years).

The average retail area per newly opened specialist organic store/organic supermarket was 560 m², which is about 17 % higher than in the previous year (477 m²). For years the average retail space of new stores has been between 400 m² and 500 m², so now we are seeing a slight upward trend.

If we look at distribution of new openings in 2008, we see the following picture: in the lead was Bavaria with 24 new specialist stores, closely followed by Baden-Württemberg with 13. Then came Nordrhein-Westphalen with nine and Berlin with eight new openings. Hessen had six and Niedersachsen four new organic supermarkets. The locations with fewest new stores were Hamburg (3), Schleswig-Holstein (2), and Bremen and Rheinland-Pfalz with one each. In the federal states in East Germany no big organic supermarket was opened.

Conclusion: In spite of the current somewhat slower growth of the organic market, the specialist organic trade continues to be optimistic and favours expansion. This is now benefiting smaller and medium size towns with a population of more than about 20,000. The financial crisis did not lead to the cancellation of new openings in November and December. In the last two months alone, eight new stores have been launched.

List of new specialist organic stores and organic supermarkets 2008:

Name	Date	Area	Town
Kiepert+Kutzner (bish. BioCompany)	January	208	Berlin
Alnatura 35	January	600	Koblenz
SuperBioMarkt	January	750	Gelsenkirchen
Fair & Quer	January	1300	Heidelberg
Alnatura	January	700	Bremen
Biomarkt Klein	January	500	Mülheim
Naturkost Brinkmann	January	400	Warburg
Sendlinger Biomarkthalle	February	240	Munich
Denn’s Biomarkt	February	500	Kaufbeuren
Alnatura	February	470	Königstein
Vollcorner	February	240	Munich
Denn's Biomarkt	February	750	Krefeld
City-BioMarkt	February	730	Regensburg
Biomarkt Lustig	February	400	Schramberg
Alnatura 38	March	780	Berlin
BioMarkt Chiemgau	March	650	Traunstein
LPG 4	March	500	Berlin
Vitalia Biomarkt	April	600	Straubing
Bio-Dorf	April	400	Mannheim
Denn's Biomarkt	April	600	Mönchengladbach
Denn's Biomarkt	April	565	Fulda
Tjaden's BioFrischeMarkt	April	450	Hamburg
Landwege	May	320	Lübeck
Denn's Biomarkt	May	400	Konstanz
Vierlinden	May	800	Eching
Bio Company	May	350	Berlin
Alnatura	May	700	Kriftel
ViV BioFrischeMarkt	May	330	Berlin
Erdkorn	May	900	Hamburg
Envita	May	870	Mannheim
Wasserburger Biomarkt	May	800	Wasserburg
Biomarkt Neuhoff	May	600	Regensburg
Bella Vita	June	650	Ingolstadt
B.i.o. Biomarkt	June	510	Marktoberdorf
Aleco	June	650	Cuxhaven
Bio Bäcker	June	280	Bad Homburg
Naturgut	June	460	Stuttgart
Erdi	June	400	Ostfildern
Alnatura	July	700	Wiesbaden
Bio Company	July	570	Berlin
Echt Bio Markt	July	450	Lauffen
Füllhorn	August	350	Walldorf
Bio Bukes	August	600	Bottrop
Bioladen	August	600	Coesfeld
Früchte der Natur	August	300	Bielefeld
Marktladen Rieselfeld	September	230	Freiburg
Grünmeier Biomarkt	September	400	Dieburg
Sonnenblume	September	400	Geislingen
Naturmarkt Korthaus	September	430	Marl
Echt Bio-Markt	September	350	Tuttlingen
ebl - Naturkost	September	900	Bamberg
Bio Company	September	550	Berlin
Aleco	September	410	Rotenburg
Denn's Biomarkt	September	700	Siegen
Bio-Witt	October	800	Ansbach
Alnatura	October	530	Pforzheim
Alnatura	October	630	Munich
Alnatura	October	700	Hamburg
Alnatura	October	800	Berlin
VollCorner	October	400	Munich
Denn's BiomarkT	October	470	Erding
Hofladen Gut Wulksfelde	October	600	Tangstedt
Naturata City	October	1000	Köln
BioMarkt Weiler	November	500	Miltenberg
Vierlinden	November	657	Munich
Vitalia Biomarkt	December	500	Erding
Alnatura	December	550	Munich
Basic	December	680	Munich
Denn's Biomarkt	December	450	Neuburg
Vitalia Biomarkt	December	500	Weyarn
Vitalia Biomarkt	December	700	Unterhaching