Konsum (German pronunciation: [ˈkɔnzʊm]) is a cooperative retail chain founded in 1945 by the Soviet Military Administration in occupied East Germany. It consisted of grocery stores, retail markets, industrial plants, and restaurants, and was a direct competitor to the Handelsorganisation.[1][2]

Konsum
Company typeCo-op
IndustryRetail, restaurants, grocery stores
Founded1945
Headquarters
Area served
former East Germany

After German reunification in 1990, Konsum was not dissolved, as it was not a state-owned enterprise like Handelsorganisation. Today, it exists in limited capacity, mostly as a real estate management cooperative.

References

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  1. ^ Simone Tippach-Schneider: Das große Lexikon der DDR-Werbung, Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf Verlag GmbH, Berlin 2004.
  2. ^ Burchard Bösche, Jan-Frederik Korf: Chronik der deutschen Konsumgenossenschaften. 150 Jahre Konsumgenossenschaften in Deutschland. 100 Jahre Zentralverband deutscher Konsumgenossenschaften e. V. Hamburg 2003.