100 more supermarkets in south of France are to rebrand to Carrefour
Stores impacted are small convenience shops in the centre of cities or smaller supermarkets in rural towns or villages
If you live in the south of France, you will soon be more likely to see this logo when you go shopping
ricochet64 / Shutterstock
Supermarket chain Carrefour is continuing its expansion in southern France with the conversion of more than 100 smaller supermarkets currently under the Casino franchise.
A deal announced between the retailer and logistics operator Magne will see Carrefour take over the group’s operations in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions.
Stores operated by Magne will have the choice to bear the banner of Carrefour – either its City or Express brands for mid and small supermarkets – or Proxi, an affiliate of the retailer.
However, they can remain independent if they wish, the supermarket chain announced.
The deal also sees Carrefour take over two major warehouses operated by the logistics group.
Magne’s previous contract with Casino was terminated by the struggling chain in March.
It mirrors a pattern seen earlier this year when Carrefour took over operation of nearly 100 stores in Occitanie managed by Puig and Fils, which were previously operated as Casino stores.
The purchase means the Carrefour group will own 5,118 stores in France under its various affiliates. Casino will still control more – 7,447 – through its network that includes Vival, Spar, Petit Casino, Franprix, Monoprix, Naturalia, and other independent stores.
Carrefour is planning to open 400 stores in France in 2025, higher than the 250 forecast at the beginning of the year.
Read more: Which is the cheapest supermarket in France?
What will change for shoppers?
The stores impacted are small convenience stores in the centre of larger cities or smaller supermarkets in rural towns or villages. No hypermarkets are involved.
As part of the agreement, the stores impacted can choose to open as a Carrefour-brand establishment, or retain their independent status (but cannot of course remain as a Casino-brand store).
Carrefour has previously been criticised by an association of franchise owners under the group for ‘abusive practices’.
It has led to changes that provide more independence for individual store owners, who can set their own prices and run their own promotions.
This means that changes will be mostly restricted to each individual supermarket, and there is no indication of a wider increase or drop in prices.
However, one thing to note is that whilst store owners are free to bring in produce from other sources, the vast majority of items in-store will come from Carrefour’s central supply chain.
It means the stores will be affected by any shift in strategy or pricing further up in the hierarchy.
Read more: Prices on these supermarket products will increase by up to 15% in France this year
In addition, supply costs are up to 20% higher with Carrefour. The chain argues this is due to the stores in question being smaller and often in urban areas, making delivery of goods more expensive than it is to a hypermarket.
One point in favour for Carrefour is that since 2018 it has not closed any stores in France despite the turbulent economic conditions.
