Retail EDIFACT — Sklavenitis, AB, Lidl, Masoutis

Long before tax e-invoicing, Greek grocery retail has exchanged its orders, despatch advices and invoices by EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) for decades. The standard used is EANCOM — the EDIFACT subset defined by GS1 for retail. The players: Sklavenitis (leader, ex-Marinopoulos/Carrefour), AB Vasilopoulos (Ahold Delhaize group), Lidl Hellas, Masoutis, My market (Metro AEBE) and Kritikos.

History — from the barcode to EANCOM

It all starts with the barcode. GS1 Hellas (formerly EAN Hellas) rolled out EAN/GTIN codes in Greek retail from the 1990s. Once products are uniquely identified, the electronic exchange of commercial documents follows: orders, despatch advices, invoices. The chosen standard is EANCOM, the EDIFACT variant designed for retail. The sector then consolidated — the peak being Sklavenitis's acquisition of Marinopoulos (Carrefour Greece) in 2017, making it the national leader.

1990s      | GS1 Hellas (formerly EAN Hellas) rolls out EAN/GTIN barcodes
           | in Greek retail. First EDI exchanges between the big chains and
           | their national suppliers.
           |
2000s      | Adoption of EANCOM (the GS1 EDIFACT subset): ORDERS, DESADV,
           | INVOIC. VANs and EDI operators connect manufacturers (food,
           | beverages) and buying groups.
           |
2010-2017  | Sector consolidation: Sklavenitis buys Marinopoulos (Carrefour
           | Greece) in 2017, becoming the leader. AB Vasilopoulos remains an
           | Ahold Delhaize subsidiary. Lidl Hellas expands.
           |
2018-2021  | Rise of Metro AEBE (My market) and Masoutis (North). Kritikos
           | (Attica / South). Pressure to dematerialise order-delivery-invoice
           | flows.
           |
2021-2024  | myDATA overlays a tax layer: the EDIFACT INVOIC must also be
           | reported to AADE (MARK). Logistics EDI and tax compliance converge.
           |
2025-2026  | B2B mandate: the EANCOM INVOIC coexists with mandatory structured
           | e-invoicing; accredited providers bridge the two.

Governance — GS1 Hellas + retailers

GS1 Hellas is the national organisation that manages GS1 identifiers in Greece: company prefixes, GLNs (Global Location Numbers) for parties, GTINs for products. It publishes the local EANCOM implementation guides. The retailers then impose their own profiles (message versions, mandatory segments, internal codes) on their suppliers — that is the reality of retail: every buying centre has its "EDI spec".

Schema — ORDERS, DESADV, INVOIC, GLN

The classic retail triptych: ORDERS (retailer order), DESADV (supplier despatch advice), INVOIC (invoice). Here is a commented EANCOM INVOIC:

INVOIC EANCOM (D.96A) — supplier -> retailer (extract)
UNH+1+INVOIC:D:96A:UN:EAN008'
BGM+380+FA-2026-04211+9'                 commercial invoice
DTM+137:20260616:102'                    invoice date
NAD+SU+520...GLN...::9++SUPPLIER SA'     SUpplier (GS1 Hellas GLN)
NAD+BY+520...GLN...::9++SKLAVENITIS SA'  BuYer (buyer GLN)
RFF+VA:EL094019017'                      issuer VAT (EL prefix)
LIN+1++5201234567890:EN'                 line 1, GTIN-13 (EAN)
QTY+47:120:PCE'                          120 pieces
MOA+203:840.00'                          line amount (net)
TAX+7+VAT+++:::24+S'                     VAT 24%
MOA+125:840.00'                          taxable base
UNS+S'
MOA+86:1041.60'                          total incl. VAT
MOA+176:201.60'                          total VAT
UNT+18+1'
UNZ+1+1'

Note: the GLN (Global Location Number, 13 digits GS1) identifies
the parties; the GTIN (13 digits) identifies products. RFF+VA carries
the EL-prefixed AFM — the same invoice later reports to myDATA.

EANCOM vs myDATA vs e-invoice

Adoption — who exchanges what

• Sklavenitis — leader from the merger with Marinopoulos (Carrefour Greece, 2017); a vast network of suppliers on EANCOM.
• AB Vasilopoulos — subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize, EDI profiles aligned with the international group's standards.
• Lidl Hellas — discounter, strict and homogeneous EDI requirements (Schwarz Gruppe model).
• Masoutis (Northern Greece), My market (Metro AEBE), Kritikos (Attica / South) — each with its own EANCOM profile.

Common pitfalls

• GLN not declared. A missing or wrong GLN at the retailer rejects the message before any processing — verify GLN matching at onboarding.
• VAT prefix GR instead of EL. In the RFF+VA segment, the AFM must be prefixed EL — a frequent error on international flows.
• Forgetting the myDATA reporting. An EANCOM INVOIC exchanged with the retailer does not exempt you from transmitting the invoice to AADE (MARK).
• GTIN inconsistent with the catalogue. A GTIN not synced with the retailer's article file causes receiving discrepancies (DESADV vs delivery).
• Message profile not respected. Each retailer imposes its EANCOM version and mandatory segments; a generic INVOIC is often refused.

Cross-links

• Greece hub — full view
• Greek industrial EDI
• myDATA — electronic books
• VAT (FPA) regimes
• B2B mandate 2025-2026
• GS1 Hellas — EANCOM standards