The Billa Supermarket company is a subsidiary of REWE-Zentral, a German held company.
Billa was founded by Karl Wlaschek in 1953 under the name “Discount Perfume Chain WKW. In 1954 the company title was changed to “Billa” The company name “Billa” is a contraction of the German phrase BiLLiger Laden meaning “inexpensive shop” The company mainly traded in dry goods. The company showed steady growth, and by 1965 there were over 100 Billa Supermarkets in operation.
The Billa supermarkets marketed as a converted self-self-service team, a first for the area. The company is currently headquartered in Wiener Neudorf, Austria.
In the 1970’s Billa introduced fresh products, such a milk, eggs, cheese, and sausage. With the offering of fresh cuts meats soon to follow. In 1983 Billa Supermarkets opened in store delicatessens. In July of 1996, the Billa Company was acquisitioned by REWE-Zentral.
The Billa company currently employs over 18,000 people and in 2013 reported revenue of 1.4 billion Euros.
Billa Supermarkets operates in 9 European Countries:
• Austria
• Czech Republic
• Slovakia
• Bulgaria
• Romania
• Russia
• Italy
• Croatia
• Ukraine
In 2011 Billa introduced its own brand of products offering customers over 600 products.
