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Dutch supermarket chains Plus and Coop have announced their intentions to merge. Continuing under the name Plus, the merged company will be the third-largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands, following Albert Heijn and Jumbo.
Turnover of five billion
The new Plus will generate sales of some five billion euros in its 550 stores. This will make it the third-largest supermarket in the Netherlands, with a market share of 10 %. The two leading chains, Albert Heijn and Jumbo, have a market share of 35 % and 21.5 %, respectively.
The headquarters of the merged company will be in Utrecht, where Plus is currently headquartered. The merger will result in the loss of jobs, but the number of jobs lost is unknown.
Increase in scale
Plus and Coop expect to save around 50 million euros annually as a result of the alliance, which they want to invest in their store network and online activities, Dutch national broadcaster NOS reports.
The merger should be completed early next year, although both the competition authorities and the members of the two cooperatives still have to agree to the merger. After the consolidation, the new Plus will remain a cooperative.
