REWE Group moves more pet food, litter and accessories through its aisles than almost any competitor, but the number that should interest a supplier is the compliance and logistics machine standing behind the shelf.
REWE Group: Scale, Format and Footprint
- Founded: 1927, as a cooperative of independent food retailers (Revisionsverband der Westkauf-Genossenschaften); no single founder.
- Headquarters: Cologne, Germany.
- Ownership: Cooperative group (REWE Zentralfinanz eG and affiliated cooperatives).
- Scale / Revenue: FY2025 total external revenue of €100.4 billion (up 4.0%); group revenue €91.1 billion; EBITA above €1.5 billion; net profit above €525 million.
- Stores: More than 3,800 REWE stores in Germany plus the PENNY discounter, Billa, Bipa, Adeg, toom Baumarkt and the Zooroyal pet chain, for a European network of around 13,000 outlets.
- Workforce: Around 380,000 employees (2024).
- Customers: More than 18 million users signed up to the new REWE Bonus and PENNY apps after their 2025 launch.
- CEO: Lionel Souque; CFO Telerik Schischmanow.
Everyday Low Price, Engineered
REWE’s model combines cooperative-owned full-range supermarkets (run as subsidiaries or by independent REWE retailers), the PENNY hard discounter, and international banners such as Billa (Austria), Adeg, Bipa (drugstore) and IKI (Baltics), plus the Lekkerland convenience wholesale and the DERTOUR travel business. In 2025 the 1,620 independent REWE retailers grew revenue 7.2% to €20.4 billion, underlining the strength of the cooperative merchant model. Central purchasing is coordinated by REWE Group buying organisations, but regional and banner-level assortment autonomy is significant, and the independent retailers retain local sourcing discretion.
For pet suppliers, this means multiple entry points: REWE full-range supermarkets (own-label and branded pet food, treats, accessories), PENNY (value pet SKUs), and Zooroyal (a dedicated pet-specialty banner ideal for premium and specialist pet nutrition, aquatics, small-animal and reptile ranges). Suppliers must be able to serve both the premium and the discounter end of the market and to navigate a decentralised, banner-specific buying structure.
The Pet Aisle at REWE Group
Pet is a well-developed category across REWE’s banners. REWE supermarkets carry dog and cat food (including the “ja!” and “REWE Beste Wahl” private labels), treats, litter and accessories, while PENNY offers lean, value-tier pet essentials. Crucially, REWE Group owns Zooroyal, a specialist pet-supplies retailer, giving suppliers a focused premium/specialist pet channel alongside the grocery estate. This dual structure lets exporters place value lines in PENNY, volume own-label in REWE, and premium/specialist ranges in Zooroyal.
The opportunity for exporters is broad: own-label pet food and treats for REWE and PENNY; branded premium nutrition and specialist aquatics/small-animal ranges for Zooroyal; and sustainable, recyclable-packaged pet products aligned with Germany’s strict packaging law (VerpackG) and the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). REWE’s sustainability leadership makes eco-credentials a genuine differentiator rather than a box-ticking exercise.
Passing the REWE Group Gate
Operationally, REWE’s decentralised, banner-specific buying means suppliers may need to engage several purchasing units — the REWE full-range central buying organisation, the PENNY discounter buying team and the Zooroyal pet-specialty buying team — each with its own range logic and margin expectations. All consumer packaging placed on the German market must carry a dual-system licence (for example Der Grüne Punkt) and a LUCID registration under the Verpackungsgesetz, and suppliers should prepare for the EU PPWR’s rising recyclability and reused-content thresholds, which REWE’s sustainability leadership will enforce strictly. The cooperative culture also expects evidenced action on carbon footprint, animal welfare, palm-oil and deforestation exposure, and social compliance, often via amfori BSCI or Sedex-aligned audits. Suppliers should localise thoroughly: German-language labelling, German market references and a service model that can support both the high-volume REWE/PENNY programmes and the more flexible Zooroyal specialist ranges, ideally with a local agent or distributor who understands the cooperative merchant network.
Pet-food suppliers must comply with EU feed and pet-food law (Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 and Regulation (EU) 2017/1017 on pet-food labelling and composition), hold the required establishment registration, and be certified to IFS, BRCGS or FSSC 22000. Germany applies particularly strict packaging and recycling rules: the Verpackungsgesetz (Packaging Act) requires a dual-system (Grüner Punkt / “Der Grüne Punkt”) licence for all consumer packaging, and the incoming EU PPWR raises recyclability and reused-content thresholds. Suppliers must provide an LUCID registration (Verpackungsregister) and proof of system participation.
Non-food pet items must meet EU GPSR, EU REACH and the EU Deforestation Regulation where relevant, with German-language labelling and full traceability. REWE’s cooperative, sustainability-led culture means suppliers should expect questions on carbon footprint, animal welfare, palm-oil and deforestation exposure, and social compliance. MOQs vary widely by banner: very high for REWE/PENNY volume programmes, more flexible for Zooroyal specialist ranges. Suppliers should approach via the relevant REWE Group central buying unit or the Zooroyal buying team, with German-language documentation and compliant, recyclable packaging.
2024-2026: Scale Meets Change
REWE crossed the historic €100 billion revenue threshold in FY2025, with external revenue up 4.0% to €100.4 billion and group revenue of €91.1 billion; EBITA exceeded €1.5 billion while net profit fell to above €525 million (down from about €1 billion) as the group invested heavily in prices, customer programmes and the launch of its German loyalty scheme. Retail Germany (REWE plus PENNY) rose 2.2% to €42.5 billion, PENNY Germany reached €9.9 billion, PENNY International grew 6.3% to €8.6 billion, and the independent REWE retailers grew 7.2% to €20.4 billion.
In 2025 REWE launched its REWE Bonus and PENNY apps, which rapidly exceeded expectations with more than 18 million users and an integrated payment function, and it sustained a €2.5 billion investment programme focused on digitalisation, infrastructure and customer offers. The group also continued modernising stores and logistics. For pet suppliers, the launch of a group-wide loyalty programme, the sustained sustainability investment and the healthy independent-retailer growth all point to a buyer that is expanding, data-enabled and increasingly demanding on compliance and packaging — favourable conditions for well-prepared exporters.
A Realistic Entry Path
- Multi-banner strategy: Serve PENNY (value), REWE (volume/own-label) and Zooroyal (specialist/premium) with tailored ranges.
- Nail German packaging law: LUCID registration and dual-system licensing are non-negotiable; PPWR readiness is a plus.
- Bring sustainability data: Carbon, welfare and deforestation credentials matter in REWE’s cooperative culture.
- Localise: German-language labelling and autonomous regional buyers require a localised, service-oriented approach.
- Support loyalty and data: The new REWE Bonus/PENNY apps reward suppliers who can enable targeted promotions.
— Scott Zhu, Founder, GlobalPetIndex
Sources & Related Reading
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- Global Pet Brand Directory
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