A recent study of Czech shopping habits carried out by Prague-based Incoma Research found that hypermarkets were the preferred shopping place for 37 per cent of Czech households, a 7 per cent increase on 2002.
The appeal of hypermarkets is the sheer range of products they carry, along with their low prices, the fact that they are generally based in out-of-town locations and can therefore be accessed easily by car (an interesting finding, given that this is often seen as the downside of large stores in western Europe), and the fact that they offer a selection of other stores and services.
The survey also showed some changes in buying patterns, with hypermarkets being increasingly used by Czech shoppers for products such as fresh fruit and vegetables, traditionally bought in smaller, local, specialist stores.
After hypermarkets, discount stores were the most popular, the main shopping place for 20 per cent of Czech households. Low prices and easy access are the main attractions of discount stores.
Sales from the top ten Czech retailers reached CK203 billion in 2003, with Makro Cash & Carry leading the way with CK35.7 billion, followed by Ahold Czech Republic with CK32.5 billion. Kaufland was third with CK26 billion, while Rewe came in fourth with 22.8 bilion.
Tesco was fifth with CK19.5 billion, ahead of Globus (CK18.2 billion), Tengelmann (CK17.7 billion) and Delvita (CK11 billion). Carrefour was ninth with sales of CK10 billion and Spar tenth with CK9 billion.
The top ten chains were named by 74 per cent of respondents, up from 66 per cent last year.
The Lidl chain, which entered the Czech market this spring with a massive launch campaign, not surprisingly had the highest recall rate, with 72 per cent of those questioned saying they knew the chain, although just one sixth of respondents said they had actually shopped there. Just 1 per cent of households said they used Lidl stores, ranking it in a lowly 17th place - although it is unlikely to stay that low down for long, Incoma said.
The researchers also asked consumers to rate various chains according to a range of criteria.
The Globus hypermarket chain was found to be the best for the size of its product offer, freshness and quality of goods and the overall shopping environment, while Kaufland was found to be the best in terms of price. Smaller stores were in general said to have better quality products and more friendly staff, with the Flosman/Flop group coming out top.
The survey also looked at how the e-commerce side of modern retailing is developing in the Czech Republic, with around 4 per cent of those questioned saying that they had used the Internet for shopping.