It all started in the year 1900, when Joseph Leesch opened a small grocery shop in the gare area of Luxembourg City.
His sons, Paul and Alfred, followed their father’s footsteps and wanted to transform Luxembourg’s supermarkets into a more American inspired model. Self-service, shopping carts and parking were all part of the innovative transformation for their small native country of Luxembourg.
In 1967, the first ‘Cactus’ opens its doors in the city of Bereldange.
Some people on Reddit argued that the name comes from the fact that “your wallet stings after you went shopping”. It seems like an interesting explanation, although, nowadays, our wallet stings no matter where we use it...
Cactus representative confirmed that the name was taken from the title of a 1967 song by French singer Jacques Dutronc “Les Cactus”. The founder, Paul Leesch, also chose the name “Cactus” as it can be understood in every language and symbolises a plant that can survive in difficult conditions.
According to the Cactus website, the Cactus groups counts a total of 4000 employees and 62 sales outlets throughout the country (in 2021).
Cactus founder Paul Leesch died in 2021 at the age of 91.
