The supermarkets of 2026 have been announced

• Lebensmittel Praxis honours Germany’s best supermarkets and the retail sector’s employees of the year
• The jury comprises key decision-makers in the German food retail sector, including Edeka CEO Markus Mosa and Rewe CEO Lionel Souque
• The accompanying symposium, ‘Time for Courage’, discusses key issues facing the industry’s future

Essen, 21 May 2026. Germany’s best supermarkets are located in Gütersloh, Biberach an der Riss, Munich and Egelsbach. Lebensmittel Praxis (LP), the highest-circulation trade magazine for the German food industry, presented the winners of the “Supermarket of the Year 2026” competition on Thursday evening in the Grand Hall of the Zeche Zollverein in Essen: Edeka Schenke in Gütersloh, Rewe Familie Engel in Biberach an der Riss, Rewe Markt in Munich, Würmtalstraße, and the Rewe Center Egelsbach. The winners impressed a jury of experts comprising key decision-makers from the German food retail sector with their creativity, commitment to quality, strong customer focus – and impressive sales figures.

As part of the celebrations, LP also honoured three outstanding food retail staff members with the special “Employee of the Year” award. The title was awarded to Lena Faller (Globus-Markthalle Zell), David Gubernator (Globus-Markthalle Wittlich) and Paula Schima (Rewe-Center Egelsbach).

Every year, Lebensmittel Praxis awards the title of “Supermarket of the Year” in four categories: small chain stores (up to 3,000 square metres of retail space), large chain stores (over 3,000 square metres), small independent retailers (up to 2,000 square metres) and large independent retailers (over 2,000 square metres). This year’s jury included, among others, Edeka CEO Markus Mosa and Rewe CEO Lionel Souque. The decision is based on unannounced visits to all entrants by the editorial team of Lebensmittel Praxis, an independent consumer survey, and data on business performance.

“A high level of customer convenience, top-quality products and excellent value for money are the hallmarks of the leading retailers. This is always a team effort,” says Dr Ludger Schulze Pals, Managing Director of Lebensmittel Praxis Verlag. LP Editor-in-Chief Hendrik Varnholt is convinced: “Germany’s best food retailers are not daunted by the challenging economic climate. On the contrary: they are investing and using creative ideas to make shopping an enjoyable experience. That is what our country needs right now: entrepreneurs who look to the future with courage and confidence.”

“Time for Courage” was also the theme of the accompanying symposium, at which leading experts discussed the industry’s major future challenges with more than 500 decision-makers from the German food sector: Will AI determine what we buy in the future? Are Chinese companies changing the food business in Germany? How will the industry ensure food supplies in the event of a crisis? Alongside Markus Mosa and Lionel Souque, Clemens Tönnies, co-owner of the meat company Premium Food Group, Lidl’s Head of Purchasing Christoph Graf and many other key figures from the industry were on hand to answer questions.

The chefs from our media partner, essen & trinken, provided the culinary highlights of the evening.

For further information, please visit www.supermarktdesjahres.de.

These are the 12 markets nominated for the 2026 final

Retail chains with up to 3,000 square metres of retail space

• Combi Bunde, Neuschanzer Straße 19, 26831 Bunde
• Rewe Markt, Bonner Straße 3–5, 50677 Köln
• Rewe Markt, Würmtalstr. 117, 81735 München (Winner)

Retail chains with over 3,000 square metres of retail space

• Kaufland Waiblingen, Ruhrstraße 5, 71332 Waiblingen
• Marktkauf Löhne, Albert-Schweitzer-Straße 13, 32584 Löhne
• Rewe Center Egelsbach, Kurt-Schumacher-Ring 4, 63329 Egelsbach (Winner)

Independent retailers with up to 2,000 square metres of retail space

• Edeka McLenachan, Neue Kantstraße 29-30, 14057 Berlin
• Rewe Familie Engel, Riedlinger Straße 201, 88400 Biberach an der Riss (Winner)
• Rewe Ioannis Mouratidis, Landshuter Allee 30, 80637 München

Independent retailers with over 2,000 square metres of retail space

• E-Center Schroff, Hoffmannallee 35, 47533 Kleve
• Edeka Frischecenter Komp, Julius-Leber-Straße 10, 46485 Wesel
• Edeka Schenke, Rhedaer Straße 43, 33330 Gütersloh (Winner)

Photos: Peter Eilers/Ingo Hilger
Supermarket of the Year 2026 Press Kit Images
(When you click on the link, the zip file will download automatically.)

Press contact
Hendrik Varnholt
Editor-in-Chief of Lebensmittel Praxis (LP)
hendrik.varnholt@lp-verlag.de
Tel. +49 173-7590783
Hülsebrockstr. 2–8, 48165 Münster

Bettina Röttig
Head of the Practice and Product Range Department in the Food Retail Sector
bettina.roettig@lp-verlag.de
Tel. +49 152-22589463
Hülsebrockstr. 2–8, 48165 Münster

About Lebensmittel Praxis and Lebensmittel Praxis-Verlag
With a circulation of just under 59,000 copies (IVW, Q1 2026), Lebensmittel Praxis is the highest-circulation trade magazine for the German food industry. In addition to the magazine, LP’s portfolio includes a comprehensive range of digital offerings and high-quality events. The magazine is published by Lebensmittel Praxis-Verlag, which is part of the Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster group of companies.

With its media and service offerings in the fields of agriculture, food and rural life, the publishing group ranks among the ten highest-turnover German specialist publishers and the 100 largest German media companies, with a total turnover of over 130 million euros. In total, the group employs around 900 staff in Münster and at its other locations in Germany, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands.