The German company Metro AG, known on the Czech market under the brand name Makro, acquires 25% of the Czech company Košík. The largest shareholder of the German wholesaler are billionaires Daniel Křetínský and Patrik Tkáč, who are also the majority owners of Košík. Thanks to this new cooperation, expansion into other Central and Eastern European markets is expected.

Metro AG is a leading international food wholesaler, specialising in the needs of hotels, restaurants, caterers and independent retailers. The company operates in 30 countries, employs nearly 95,000 people and recorded sales of €29.8 billion last year. Worldwide, Metro AG has approximately 17 million customers.

Metro AG and the eGrocery specialist Košík have already started a close cooperation in the Czech Republic in August 2020. When the wholesaler Makro made space available to Košík in the Makro store in České Budějovice. This concept was later expanded to include Makro stores in Olomouc, Brno, Ostrava, Zlín and Sofia, Bulgaria. The basket was originally delivered across the Czech Republic from Prague, which proved to be disadvantageous, so Makro's infrastructure helped it cut costs.

As a key supplier of food to Košík in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, Metro AG became a 25% shareholder in exchange for providing full access to its supply capabilities and the potential of its store network. Metro AG can increase its stake to 30% if the cooperation is extended to other Central European markets