Belgian court confirms Mestdagh takeover by Intermarché

A Brussels Court has denied Carrefour Belgium’s request to partially reverse Intermarché‘s takeover of 86 supermarkets of the Mestdagh group.

Refusal

Carrefour disagreed with the Belgian competition authority’s decision to greenlight that takeover, last November, without attaching conditions such as the compulsory sale of some branches. Carrefour argued that Intermarché would hold too strong a position in some regions after the takeover.

The retailer therefore asked for eighteen shops to be sold again, but the court did not go along with that. In December, a lower court had already dismissed Carrefour’s request, and the Brussels Court now confirms that earlier refusal, Belgian newspaper De Tijd reports.

Loss of turnover

The Mestdagh group was Carrefour’s largest franchise partner in Belgium and operated 86 supermarkets under the Carrefour Market banner. The loss of this major franchiser cost Carrefour a considerable amount of sales and market share.

Meanwhile, Intermarché is taking further steps in franchising of 51 integrated ‘Intermarché by Mestdagh’ stores: sixteen of them have already found a buyer and will become independent on 1 July. A second and final wave of acquisitions would follow in September.