Carrefour starts Cora conversion in France, but retains Match

Before the end of the year, Carrefour is going to convert the sixty Cora stores it had acquired into hypermarkets under its own brand. However, it now turns out that it will not let the Match brand disappear from the French market.

Expertise in fresh

Carrefour finalised the acquisition of Cora and Match in France yesterday: from September, its private labels will appear in both Cora and Match shops, and before the start of the new year all Cora shops will be issued with Carrefour signs, the retailer reported in a press release. The acquisition would contribute 130 million euros annually to gross profit by 2027, slightly more than the previously estimated 110 million.

Worth noting is the fact that the group wants to keep – and even strengthen – Match as a separate brand alongside Carrefour Market. The acquired supermarket chain has high brand recognition regionally and stands out with strong expertise in traditional serving counters in fresh food departments.

No impact in Belgium

At a press event on Monday, CEO Alexandre Bompard stressed that nothing will change for the some 22,000 employees affected. There will be no redundancies and management will remain in post, as will shop directors. The employees of purchasing centre Provera will transfer to Carrefour’s purchasing department.

Carrefour reached an agreement a year ago with the Belgian Louis Delhaize group, regarding the transfer of sixty Cora supermarkets and 115 Match supermarkets in France. Those shops are mainly located in the north and east of the country, regions where Carrefour is historically less strong. Together, they represent a market share of 2.4 %.

There is no impact on the Belgian operations of Louis Delhaize, which still operates seven Cora supermarkets on its home market, as well as the Louis Delhaize proximity stores (supplied by wholesaler Delfood) and the Delitraiteur meal time shops. In Belgium, however, the Match and Smatch brands have been discontinued.