Its current incarnation was launched in 2017 as a spun-off of old Metro AG, which continued to be a consumer electronics retailer and renamed itself Ceconomy.

In 1966, Otto Beisheim met Friedrich Wilhelm Lenz, chairman of the management board of Franz Haniel & Cie. and convinced him to invest in Metro.

[19] On 15 June 2015, Metro AG agreed to sell Galeria Kaufhof to Canadian retail conglomerate Hudson's Bay Company for $3.2 billion.

In September 2018, Metro announced that it wanted to sell the Real hypermarket subsidiary in Germany to focus entirely on wholesale business.

[31] In February 2023, the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption of Ukraine included the company in the list of International Sponsors of War.

[35] Over the years, Metro AG has expanded its presence in the country, opening stores in several other cities, including Saint Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Rostov-on-Don.

Furthermore, the investigation by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) revealed that the key shareholder of Metro Cash & Carry, Daniel Kretynski, controls EP Infrastructure (EPIF), which owns 49% of Eustream,[39] the company that operates a gas transportation system from Russia to Central and Eastern Europe.

This fact, combined with the company's actions, led to Metro Cash & Carry being added to the NACP's list of international sponsors of war.

[39] Metro AG's latest quarterly financial results report,[41] which was released on 8 February 2023, indicates a decrease in sales at the chain's stores in Russia.

[44] In 2014, Metro exited Vietnam by signing an agreement to sell its local subsidiary, consisting of 19 stores, to the Thai group Berli Jucker for €665 million.

[48] In April 2020, Metro completed the sale of a majority stake in its Chinese joint venture to Wumei Technology Group for more than €1.5 billion.

[52] Notably, Belgium was the only country where Metro had stores under both brands, and it was also unique in allowing general access to its Makro network, typically reserved for business customers.