Black group invests billions in Germany: job engine remains active!

Black group invests billions in Germany: job engine remains active!

In Germany, the economic situation of the family businesses shows ambivalent. While many companies are increasingly relocating production steps abroad due to high taxes and costs, the Schwarz-Group Konglomerat in the food retail trade, the location of Germany to Loyal. The group, which Lidl and Kaufland unites under their roof, has invested over 30 billion euros in Germany in recent years and thereby created around 60,000 new jobs.

For the year 2025, the Schwarz Group plans to increase its investments to around 3.7 billion euros, which corresponds to 400 million euros more than in the previous year. This is a clear sign that despite the challenges in the global market, social and economic focus is still on the home location.

growth and expansion

The black group recorded sales of 175.4 billion euros in the 2024 financial year, which corresponds to an increase of 4.9 percent compared to the previous year. The creation of around 20,000 new jobs, including around 4,000 in Germany, and the opening of around 300 new branches, which raises the total network to approx. 14,200 branches, also contributed to this growth. Lidl was able to increase its branch sales by 5.3 percent to 132.1 billion euros, while Kaufland earned 35.2 billion euros, which corresponds to growth of 2.9 percent. The Environmental division Prezero also showed a positive development and achieved sales of 3.9 billion euros, which corresponds to an increase of 5.4 percent. The entire online turnover remained stable at 1.7 billion euros.

The production capacities have been expanded by new locations, including a nut roasting in Rheine and a beverage work in the derby, Great Britain. In addition, the manufacturing companies of the Schwarz Group achieved deliveries of goods worth 4.6 billion euros, which corresponds to an increase of 9.5 percent. The total investment rose to 8.6 billion euros, whereby 3.3 billion euros flowed directly in Germany, a clear commitment to the home region.

family business in focus

The black group remains the second largest German family business after Volkswagen and the fourth largest worldwide. Despite the negative trends in the automotive supplier industry, where many companies are based on other European countries or to the United States, the black group pursues a clear strategy that relies on stability and growth. In this context, CEO Martin Herrenknecht from Herrenknecht Maschinenbau recently expressed that a disappointment about the German economy could be felt in an international comparison.

Overall, the situation of the black group shows that despite the challenges in global competition, there are also companies that firmly believe in the strengths of Germany and are willing to invest in the future. The next few months will be decisive for the continuation of this course and the creation of other jobs in the region.