German retail Metro Group has admitted it has held talks with parties interested in its Extra business but insisted all options remain on the table.
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Speculation surrounding the future of Metro’s Extra stores has stuck around in recent months and reports claim a sale of the business could be imminent.
A spokesman for Metro said the company had been in “discussions with several companies” but said a sale was not guaranteed.
“We are checking all our options. Selling Extra is one option but we cannot comment,” the spokesman told just-food today (14 January).
Local rival Edeka has been named as a potential bidder for Extra. Officials at Edeka could not be reached for comment as just-food went to press.
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By GlobalDataIn November, Edeka admitted a “general interest” in the Extra stores but insisted its focus was on its recently-signed discount retail venture with local conglomerate Tengelmann.
Last week, Metro posted underlying sales growth of over 7% for 2007, driven by its international business.
Sales in Germany rose 5.5% but the increase was largely to the integration of the former Wal-Mart stores it acquired in 2006. Stripping out that part of the business, sales inched up 0.4%.
