Meister Verbrauchermarkt GmbH was a supermarket chain in Bavaria which was founded in 1959 by Ludwig A. Meister in Erbendorf. It was sold in 1978 to Metro's predecessor Asko Deutsche Kaufhaus AG and Deutsche SB-Kauf AG and finally was merged with Metro AG in 1996. On 9 October 2002, the firm was removed from the business register.[1]
 | |
| Company type | GmbH |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food retailer |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Fate | Sold to Metro AG |
| Headquarters | |
History
editThis section's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (July 2018) |
The business began operation in 1959, when Ludwig A. Meister converted his mother's shop in Erbendorf into a supermarket, based on the supermarkets he had seen in the USA. Up to that point, only a handful of supermarkets existed in Germany. In the following years, the business grew further and further and, a few years later, the first cash and carry market was opened.[2]
Sale
editIn 1978, Asko Deutsche Kaufhaus AG, the predecessor to Metro AG, discovered the business and offered the owner a sum of 3 million DM; Meister accepted the offer. Upon this acquisition, Asko and its partner Deutsche SB-Kauf established MHB Handel AG, under which the supermarkets Massa, BLV and Primus were hosted. At this point in time the company already possessed 18 markets throughout north-east Bavaria. The markets continued to keep their names. In the meantime, Asko and Deutsche SB-Kauf each kept a 50% shareholding in MHB Handel AG. The location of MHB AG was Alzey.[3] In the following years, even more markets were opened throughout Bavaria, e.g. in Altötting and Ingolstadt. In 1987 there were already 22 markets.[4] In the meantime, the Meister Verbrauchermarkt locations were taken over in 1991 by brands belonging to MHB Handel AG, under another BLV-Markt in Neuötting.[5]
Abolishment
editIn 1996, it became known that Asko Deutsche Kaufhaus AG, Deutsche SB-Kauf AG, and Kaufhof Holding AG wanted to merge themselves into a corporate group under the roof of Metro AG. Through the merger, two new supermarket chains were opened: Real and Extra. Until 2004, these remained self-reliant subsidiaries of Metro AG. Following the creation of these markets, the remaining Meister Verbrauchermarkt locations were converted into Real and Extra markets.[6]
The firm Meister Verbrauchermarkt GmbH, which had become a subsidiary of MHB Handel AG after the takeover of Asko in 1978, was finally removed from the business register in 2002.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Excerpt from the business register
- ^ Schaudig, Lothar (5 January 2007). "Oberpfälzer Unternehmer baut karibische Träume". Mittelbayerische Zeitung.
- ^ Business chronology of Metro AG
- ^ "Zeit eilt: Otto Beisheim, Drittel-Eigentümer der Handelskette Metro, betätigt sich als Großeinkäufer von Firmen.", Der Spiegel, 11 July, no. 20, pp. 65–70, 1987
- ^ Alt-Neuöttinger Anzeiger. 5 September 2013.
- ^ Metro AG