Private company

Konsum

Logo: Original: Karl Thewalt Vector: Peter Wiegel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Cooperative retail chain

Konsum (German pronunciation: ) is a cooperative retail chain founded in 1945 by the Soviet Military Administration in the Soviet Occupation Zone, which later became East Germany. It consisted of grocery stores, retail markets, industrial plants, and restaurants, and was a direct competitor to the Handelsorganisation. After German reunification in 1990, Konsum was not dissolved, as it was not a state-owned enterprise like Handelsorganisation.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1945Founded1
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-N0416-0023, Dresden, Johannstadt, Kaufhalle
Photo: Ulrich Haessler, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons4

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

Timeline

  1. 1945Founded Founded1

Sources

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