EnglishGerman discount supermarket chain "Lidl", part of German retail group Schwarz, is interested in acquiring the chain of stores its German competitor Plus owns in Romania and Bulgaria, according to Agerpres. "Tengelmann", the parent company of Plus, confirmed that it is negotiating the sale of its operations in Romania and Bulgaria, but said a decision has yet to be made.
"Lidl" intends to acquire the almost 80 stores "Plus" currently owns in Romania in order to further expand into the region. In Bulgaria, "Plus" currently operates a network of 16 stores, and "Lidl" intends to enter the Bulgarian market in spring this year.
Last year, "Lidl" announced its intention to open almost 50 new stores in Romania, in the beginning of 2010. This decision will allow the company to become a market leader of the discount supermarket segment over the course of the next months, by controlling over 150 stores.
In 2007 and 2008, Plus sold its stores in most of the European countries. Over the last few years, "Plus" was active in Austria, Romania and Bulgaria.
"Lidl" is part of German group Schwarz, which also owns the Kaufland hypermarket chain in Romania.
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