When I first came to Frankfurt, I was a bit overwhelmed with the amount of different supermarket brands in Frankfurt. Some German supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl have expanded globally and are known worldwide. Yet there are still many local supermarkets. Do you know the differences between them?
For the purpose of this article, I will divide supermarkets into five categories: Discounters, organic supermarkets, traditional supermarkets, ethnic supermarkets and online supermarkets.
Differences between Frankfurt supermarkets
Traditional supermarkets
The traditional supermarkets are characterised by a large selection of products and big name brands. If you are looking for specific brands or less common foods/ products, this is where you go.
They usually try to create an enjoyable shopping experience and often also have a butcher counter with meat and fish and a bakery within the supermarket. The idea is that they are a one-stop shop for all your daily necessities. On the other hand, they are more expensive than discounters.
Rewe
Rewe is probably the biggest supermarket chain in Frankfurt. There are two different kinds of Rewe stores.
The first type is the traditional Rewe markets. They are very big and have a large product range with many brands.
Most of the bigger Rewe markets also have a “sushi corner” where you can buy sushi rolls and poke bowls. As opposed to Scheck-In Center you can’t just point at a fish and have it cooked on the spot though.
The second type is Rewe City. These stores are in downtown or residential areas and relatively small. Their product range is smaller compared to the traditional Rewe supermarkets but they have all daily necessities.
In terms of price, there is barely any difference between the two types of Rewe supermarkets.
Edeka
Edeka is a second big chain of traditional supermarkets in Frankfurt. Like Rewe, they have a very large selection of products ranging from food to household utensils. They also usually have a bakery and a butchery counter.
What’s special at Edeka (at least at Scheck-In Center), is that they have a large wine area. They even have a seating area where you can taste the wine and get professional advice before you purchase. The selection of fresh fish and seafood at Scheck-In Center is also bigger than at Rewe. You can buy a seafood product and have them cook it for you right there on the spot as well.
Tegut
While Tegut is not a fully organic supermarket, they do try to differentiate from other supermarkets by placing a big focus on organic products. Although they also have a wide range of products, their stores are smaller than Rewe and Edeka with slightly fewer choices.
Discounters
Germany is where the discounter was invented by the Aldi brothers. The idea of the discounter is to offer a reduced product range mostly consisting of its own brands. The display area is kept as simple as possible. As a result, discounters are able to offer significantly cheaper prices than traditional supermarkets. The price difference is especially big for products sold in large quantities.
Nowadays, you can even find organic products at discounters. The quality of products is often no worse than at traditional supermarkets, as manufacturers often sell excess stock with the discounter’s branding.
Aldi Süd
Aldi is the originator of the discounter concept. Their stores are usually of medium size. You can often find a surprisingly big product range but few brands to choose from.
The most attractive part of Aldi is its special offers. They sometimes sell high-quality products that would usually be very expensive at very low prices. That’s why many Germans check the Aldi sales prospects every week!
Lidl
Lidl is a second big discounter in Germany. For a while, they out-competed Aldi with aggressive advertising to make the brand feel more desirable. Nowadays, there is barely any difference between the two. If one makes a move, the other immediately follows.
Penny
Penny is another discounter chain. Their stores are more often located in the center of residential areas, while Lidl and Aldi are often at the edge of an area.
In terms of food prices, they’re very similar to Aldi and Lidl. They are not as famous for special offers though. Personally, I find the shopping experience at Penny less pleasant than at Aldi or Lidl. It just feels like Penny attracts more drunk people somehow…
Netto
Again, Netto is another discounter which doesn’t differ much in terms of prices. Overall, I find Netto very similar to Penny.
Organic supermarkets
As the name implies, organic supermarkets are specialised in organic products. In this area, they have a larger selection than traditional supermarkets. They are about as expensive as traditional supermarkets. They also have a larger selection of products for vegetarians and vegans and organic toiletries.
Alnatura
Alnatura is the biggest organic supermarket chain in Frankfurt. They offer all necessities for daily life, but apart from that their products and brands are very different from traditional supermarkets.
They have a lot of different kind of flour, grains, beans, tofu etc… If you are looking for vegetarian food, they have the largest range of products. The prices are often a bit higher than at traditional supermarkets though.
Denn’s Biomarkt
Denn’s Biomarkt is another organic supermarket in Frankfurt. They are very similar to Alnatura.
Basic-Bio supermarkt
The final organic supermarket in Frankfurt is Basic-Bio supermarket. Again, there is not much difference when compared to other organic supermarkets.
Ethnic supermarkets
Ethnic supermarkets are were you can find the biggest differences between supermarkets in Frankfurt.
They offer products you typically don’t find in German supermarkets. In Frankfurt, I know of many Asian, some Indian and a few Russian supermarkets. Generally, the products here are a bit more expensive. However, sometimes they have cheap vegetables. If you are interested in the supermarket which offers products from a particular region/country, let me know and I will blog about it as well:)
Online supermarkets
Finally, there are online supermarkets. There are some which are only regionally active. Others work only with specific supermarket chains. There is also a large difference in terms of available product range. The advantage is that you don’t have to spend time going to the supermarket yourself. The drawbacks are that you pay a delivery fee and can’t pick out ripe fruit and vegetables yourself. You’ll often get stuck with unripe fruit and vegetables.
Rewe online
Rewe online is a service by Rewe and the largest online supermarket in Germany. They have a relatively big product offering that includes both fresh and frozen products.
When you order with them, you can select a delivery time window. Depending on the value of your purchases and the time window selected, delivery fees range from 1.90€ to 5.90€. In case they can’t deliver any of the products you selected, they might offer you replacement products.
My experience with Rewe online was generally positive, although the fruit and vegetables are not always of the best quality.
getnow
getnow is another online supermarket service available in Frankfurt. Their partner is Metro. Metro is a supermarket for caterers, restaurants and hotels. Therefore, they have a very large selection of vegetables, fruit, different cuts of meat and fish.
The only drawback is that they often sell goods in commercial quantities. For example, if you want to buy frozen chicken, you can’t buy less than 1.5 kg… Other than that, they are a good alternative to Rewe online.
Mytime
Frankfurt is not in the core area of Mytimes offering. Hence, they don’t deliver any fresh or frozen products. They only send packages with durable goods.
Conclusion
Once you figure out which category a supermarket falls into, the differences between Frankfurt supermarkets of the same category are only minor. Once you’ve decided what type you want to go to, there is no need to go further to one specific chain.
Which is your most regularly visited supermarket in Frankfurt? Do you have any recommendations of supermarkets to the others or would you be interested in knowing more about one type or one specific supermarket? Don’t hesitate to let me know:)
Very useful!
The retail business is competing heavily. the key of the retail is cheaper and cheaper.San Walt,the founder of the Wall Market,knows the key very well.Then he takes 20 years to spread his business aross the USA and China.By the way he writes a book to share his life and business to people.If u r interested in the retail business,u can buy it.
good