Netto limits egg purchases to two packs per customer amid supply squeeze
The discount chain, active in northern and eastern Germany, cites animal diseases in regional laying hen flocks as the cause, with Berlin-area stores hit hardest.
The restriction
Netto, the discount chain with the black-and-yellow dog logo, has limited egg purchases to a maximum of two packs per customer. The company confirmed the measure, citing an "tense situation on the egg market" and animal diseases affecting regional laying hen flocks. Two of its regionally sourced egg items are temporarily in short supply. Netto expects the situation to ease from next week.
Wider market strain
The German egg market has been under pressure for months. Rising demand and supply constraints from multiple animal diseases have led to occasional retail shortages. Market analyst Margit Beck of Marktinfo Eier und Geflügel pushed back against alarmist language.
A national egg emergency is not currently on the cards. Regional losses due to Newcastle Disease are likely to have caused the observed bottlenecks.
Berlin hit hardest
A Rewe spokesperson said the shortage is most visible in the greater Berlin area, where producers have been more severely affected. "It can happen that Berlin stores cannot always offer the full range of brands, pack sizes and farming methods. But fresh eggs are always available," the spokesperson said. Major chains such as Aldi, Edeka, Lidl, Kaufland and Rewe have not yet imposed purchase limits, according to a dpa survey.
The company behind the limit
The Netto imposing the cap is Netto ApS & Co. KG, part of the Danish Salling Group, not the larger Netto Marken-Discount based in Bavaria and owned by Edeka. The discounter operates around 340 stores with about 6,000 employees across eight federal states, including eastern Germany, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony. Its German headquarters are in Stavenhagen, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
