Billa (supermarket)
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| Type | Subsidiary of REWE-Zentral |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Headquarters | Wiener Neudorf, Austria |
| Key people | Volker Hornsteiner, Josef Siess |
| Products | Supermarkets |
| Revenue |  Euro 1.4 billion |
| Employees | 18,400 (2012) |
| Website | www.billa.at |
BILLA is an European supermarket chain originating in Austria, a market where the brand maintains its largest presence with more than 1000 stores.[1] It is owned by Germany's REWE Group.
The supermarkets' name is derived from a contraction of BILliger LAden, German for 'inexpensive shop' [2]
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[edit] Billa in Europe
Billa operates stores in these 9 European countries:
| Country | Number of stores |
 Austria |
1,000+ |
 Czech Republic |
192 |
 Slovakia |
120 |
 Bulgaria |
88 |
 Russia |
72 |
 Italy |
67 |
 Romania |
61 |
 Croatia |
49 |
 Ukraine |
26 |
[edit] Billa in Bulgaria
The company opened its first supermarket in Bulgaria in 2000 and has since then expanded to cover 35 Bulgarian cities, operating a total of 88 supermarkets. Several others are in construction or in planning. The new Billa supermarkets will be in Veliko Tarnovo, Sandanski, Ruse, Sofia and there will be a second BILLA supermarket in Sliven. The newest addition to the network is a supermarket located in the underpass of metro station "St. Climent Ohridski" in the centre of Sofia. Three new outlets are to be opened until the end of September 2009 bringing the total number of shops to 50.
In June 2006, the roof of one of the stores in Sofia collapsed during a storm. There were no injuries reported. There was an investigation to determine the reason for the poor quality of the construction work and whether the same problems are present at other Billa stores in the country.[3] Starting October 31, 2007, 11 people are going to be tried for the collapsed roof. If convicted, It is expected that they will be fined up to 1,000 leva (approx. US$700) each.
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[edit] Billa in Romania
Billa is owned by Rewe Group, which also operates XXL, Penny Market and Selgros outlets in Romania. The company uses the tagline Billa zilnic - Cel mai bun pentru mine ("Billa daily - The best for me") and opened its first store in Bucharest in 1999. Since then, Billa has turned into one of the most well represented supermarket chains, with 61 stores (as of March 2012) in Romania:
Billa's stores are generally referred to as hypermarkets, due to their size and accompanying infrastructure. Billa's newest Bucharest store has an area of 2,000 sq. metres, with a car park for 200 cars, employs 100 people and stocks 7,500 products. Despite the sizable investment, Billa's Romanian operations recorded a profit of 5.99 million new lei (1.6 million euro) in 2001. A 2001 plan called for 50 stores by 2005. While this goal was not achieved, the supermarket is expanding at a very quick rate.
[edit] Pre-peeled bananas
In September 2012, Billa drew criticism after one of its Austrian stores featured an ad for pre-peeled bananas, repackaged in cellophane and styrofoam. Public reaction to the ad was negative, criticizing the wastefulness and making light of the store's common sense slogan.[4] After being flooded with negative comments and boycott threats, Billa took down its Facebook page and said that the mistake would not happen again.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.wirtschaftsblatt.at/archiv/unternehmen/billa-eroeffnet-1000-filiale-54249/index.do , from May 30, 2006 (german)
- ^ http://www.billa.at/Metanavigation/Unternehmen/Geschichte/dd_bi_subpage.aspx
- ^ "Prosecutor: BILLA Stores in Bulgaria Are Dangerous". standartnews.com. 2006-11-27.
- ^ "Peeled bananas offered by common sense supermarket". Austrian Times. 19 September 2012.
- ^ Pous, Terri (September 26, 2012). "Pre-Peeled Bananas Incur the Wrath of Humanity". Time.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Billa |
- Billa Austria
- Billa Bulgaria
- Billa Croatia
- Billa Czech Republic
- Billa Italy
- Billa Romania
- Billa Russia
- Billa Slovakia
- Billa Ukraine
