Konsum 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]
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
- Simone Tippach-Schneider: Das große Lexikon der DDR-Werbung, Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf Verlag GmbH, Berlin 2004.^