Entstehung und Entwicklung der Vertriebsformen im Lebensmitteleinzelhandel Erster Teil einer Tetralogie

In the first part of this tetralogy the topic is the general illustration of the German retail food industry. The following part shows how discount­ sales have been able to continuously establish themselves since the early 50s. First, this market configuration only established itself in Germany, while in other European countries the traditional supermarket was the norm. Almost without any sales dips, discount sales increased year-over-year and attained a preliminary peak market share of approx. 45%. The reasons for this development can be found in German buyer behavior, namely that the typical German character is very rational and is fundamentally characterized by the optimization of all parameters. For this reason, the extreme creative urge i.e. willingness to work hard and the desire for the appearance of prosperity and proof of prosperity was presumably borne out of scarcity during and after WWII. Cost-effectivefood shopping focused on decent food quality created leeway to satisfy additional needs such as e.g. owning one's own home, vacation etc. This might have been another reason for the enormous economic growth during this period. Of course, an additional essential aspect wasthequalified store brand policy.