Carrefour kicks off Sunday openings in Belgium with free pastries

From January 18, Carrefour Belgium will also open its company-owned stores – 40 hypermarkets and 43 Market supermarkets – on Sundays. The retailer celebrates this with Sunday promotions.

Strategic move

From January 18, the 83 integrated stores will open every Sunday morning from 8 a.m., unless the shopping center does not allow it or when a public holiday falls on a Sunday. During peak periods such as the end-of-year period, the stores will be open all day, Carrefour Belgium announced in a press release.

In December, the retailer reached an agreement with the trade unions on this matter. Current employees will have the option of working on Sundays on a voluntary basis and will receive a 50% bonus. The 600 Carrefour Market and Express franchise stores were already open on Sundays.

For the company, Sunday openings represent an important strategic step in its return to growth and profitability in the Belgian market. Carrefour has high expectations for non-food sales in its hypermarkets: it claims to be the only retailer in the country that offers an extensive non-food range throughout the week.

To promote Sunday shopping, Carrefour will be launching Sunday promotions on top of the existing promotions in all stores from January 18, such as 2+2 free on pastries and rotisserie chicken for €5.99 instead of €7.99.