[In depth] Is Carrefour reconsidering the sale of its Belgian division?

The Carrefour Group’s response to rumors about a sale of its Belgian operations to a German investment fund seems to indicate that a sale is no longer on the table.

Little interest

“Carrefour remains fully committed to further expanding its operations in Belgium over the long term,” the company stated today in response to news that the German investment group Aurelius had expressed interest in taking over the retailer’s Belgian operations in partnership with local management. This seems to indicate that the group will not (for now?) proceed with a sale of the Belgian division. At least, that is the surprising conclusion drawn by the business newspaper De Tijd—the source of the rumors on Wednesday—from the indeed rather vague response from the group’s press office.