French retailer Intermarché has acquired all 87 Carrefour Market stores belonging to Carrefour’s largest Belgian franchiser Mestdagh group. Just a few weeks ago, Mestdagh had announced the end of its collaboration with Carrefour by the end of this year. Subject to approval by the competition authorities, Intermarché will own the Mestdagh’s stores and warehouses in Belgium as of 1 January 2023.
The move will create a significant retail player in the country, it will double Intermarché’s store network in Belgium to comprise 165 points of sale, the majority of which are located in the Walloon market. In 2021, Mestdagh had a turnover of € 694 million and Intermarché, present in the country since 1991, had a turnover of € 780 million in this market.
While the Flanders market is already in a fierce battle due to the arrival of Dutch chains Albert Heijn and Jumbo, a battle in Wallonia is now looming between the strengthened Intermarché and national supermarket chains. Clearly, the ambitious Intermarché wants to make Wallonia a growth market.