Billa-Konzern

Billa Group, food retailing enterprise founded by Karl Wlaschek in Vienna in1953 as a discount shop for cosmetics, which became Austria's largest trading company. In due course, the company incorporated the Merkur consumer markets and J. Andert company (meat products) in 1969; Librodisk (books and records) and Libro AG) followed in 1979, Bipa (cosmetics and household goods) in 1981, Mondo (discount shops) in 1983, Emma (neighbourhood shops) in 1988 and almost one half of the outlets of Julius Meinl AG (which were converted into Billa and Bipa shops) in1999; Eurobilla company was founded in 1990 to focus on international activities. In 1996 the Billa Group (with the exception of Libro) passed from the Wlaschek Foundation into the hands of the German Rewe Group; a year later, Libro was sold as well; in1998 the Billa Group realised sales in the order of ATS 61 billion; it had a workforce of 25,000 in 1570 retail outlets; its share in Austria's food trade amounted to 32.8%. The group (bml Vermögensverwaltungs AG) has its headquarters at Wiener Neudorf (Lower Austria).