Group of leading Polish retailers intends to join EMD, Europe’s leading buying and marketing group

Pfäffikon/Switzerland, 18/07/2025: Strong Polish local retailers such as Grupa Eurocash (Delikatesy Centrum, Lewiatan, Duży Ben, Eurocash Sieci Partnerskie (abc, groszek, Euro sklep), Partnerski System Detaliczny (gama)), Grupa Chorten and Netto intend to establish a local joint-venture buying alliance to join European Marketing Distribution (EMD) AG, the leading European buying alliance. The final accession will be subject to the prior merger clearance.

Thanks to their new EMD membership, the new Polish members will be able to increase their European sourcing capabilities, generating significant savings from their supply chain which will be reinvested in strengthening their proposition to their customers.

The new EMD member to be created by Grupa Eurocash, Grupa Chorten and Netto is to be the notable buying group in Poland with a combined market presence of around 20’000 stores across the country with the combined annual turnover of approximately over 12 billion Euro which consider them #2 in retail sales in Poland.

Subject to the merger clearance from the Polish competition authority and establishment of the Polish joint-venture company, the new members will join EMD’s joint sourcing of Private Label products and EMD’s offer of on-top services to international A-brand manufacturers from 2026 on.

Pawel Surowka, Eurocash’s Chief Executive Officer: “We are extremely pleased to become a member of the strong and partnership-based EMD community. EMD offers us many product ranges and marketing instruments which will enable us to further accelerate our customer-oriented growth in the Polish market.”

For all manufacturers operating in the field of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), the new EMD partnership opens up new opportunities.

While EMD and its member companies focus on the procurement and marketing of successful private label products, EMD members united in the EMD Retail Group also implement cross-border services and marketing concepts in partnership with leading multinational A-brand manufacturers.

In the EMD Retail Group, the Polish buying alliance, subject to the antimonopoly clearance, will collaborate from 2026 on with selected prominent and successful retail companies in their respective home countries, including the Euromadi Alfa Group from Spain, ESD Italia, Superunie from the Netherlands, RTG International, a German group of retailers, and retailer Axfood from Sweden, who also will join the group in 2026.

The core tasks for the EMD Retail Group members and new member are clearly defined: promoting and marketing established and highly sought-after top brand products (including country-specific innovations and variations of these A-brands) that are essential for customers in international retail. The EMD Retail Group cooperates with the most renowned manufacturers in the industry, including these A-brands.

Philippe Gruyters, Managing Director of EMD: ‘The new EMD membership of the Polish buying alliance opens up new sourcing opportunities for it and our existing members. With the Polish buying alliance joining our international on-top business, we can further expand our strong offering in the very dynamic Polish market.'

 

About EMD:

European Marketing Distribution AG, headquartered in Pfäffikon, Switzerland, has been recognised in the consumer goods industry as an efficient and powerful partner for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) since 1989. In particular, it develops and procures highly efficient and sustainably produced private label concepts for the benefit of consumers. The EMD head office also supports and realises global partnerships in the area of on-top agreements with the largest brand manufacturers.

Including the associate member Lotte from South Korea, the EMD member companies in Europe and Asia currently represent an external retail consumer turnover of approx. 200 billion euros in 16 countries.

The member companies of European Marketing Distribution (EMD) are active in the following markets:

Austria: MARKANT	Netherlands: Superunie
Belgium: Colruyt	Norway: Unil/NorgesGruppen
Czech Republic: MARKANT	Portugal: EuromadiPort
Denmark: Dagrofa	Slovakia: MARKANT
France: Francap	South Korea: Lotte
Germany: RTG International	Spain: Euromadi
Italy: ESD Italia	Sweden: Dagab/Axfood
Luxemburg: Colruyt	Switzerland: MARKANT

In addition to South Korea and Japan, associate member Lotte is also active in the Vietnamese and Indonesian markets.