1970-1979The first MAKRO store was opened in Belgium. At the time, the wholesaler already operated 13 METRO stores in Germany. Today the MAKRO store network is well developed: in Belgium no customer is more than 30 minutes from a MAKRO store. METRO opened stores in Britain, France, Austria and Denmark, some under the MAKRO brand. With the opening of several stores in Spain and Italy, the self-service wholesaler has expanded into the Mediterranean area. METRO Cash & Carry has acquired a minority stake of 24.9% of the shares of Kaufhof Warenhaus AG. In the same year the Kaufhof AG department store celebrated its centenary.