Les Mousquetaires acquires Bricorama

The French Bureau of Competition has approved franchise group Les Mousquetaires‘ acquisition of DIY chain Bricorama. The deal will catapult Les Mousquetaires into the third position in the French DIY industry.

170 additional stores yield third place

Les Mousquetaires, the retail holding which owns Intermarché and Bricomarché, has finalized its Bricorama purchase after the French Bureau of Competition approved the deal for an undisclosed fee.

The company acquired Bricorama’s French and Spanish activities through its ITM Equipement de la Maison, a subsidiary that already has Bricomarché and Brico Cash. Those chains already have 560 stores in France, but Les Mousquetaires will now also add the 160 Bricorama stores. The group’s Asian purchase office will also transfer to Les Mousquetaires.

Geographically, Les Mousquetaires has now obtained a broader reach and more sustainable position in the DIY industry, the company said. The franchise group already had six different chains and 3,500 stores, with a 40 billion euro turnover in total. DIY contributed about two billion euro. In that particular market, it only trails market leader Adeo (which owns Leroy Merlin and which belongs to Auchan family Mulliez) and Kingfisher. The multinational Kingfisher group is active in France with its Castorama and Brico Dépôt brands.