Carrefour starts court case over Intermarché’s Mestdagh deal

Carrefour Belgium is very displeased with the fact that Intermarché does not have to divest any of the 86 supermarkets of the Mestdagh group it acquired last year. Neither the competition watchdog nor the judge agrees with the claim, however.

“Excessive dominance”

Ever since Intermarché took over 86 former Carrefour Market supermarkets late last year, Carrefour Belgium has been opposing the deal, but now news is getting out that the scorned retailer is taking legal action. The chain does not agree with the unconditional approval that the Belgian competition authority gave last November: rather, Mestdagh’s former franchisee thinks a compulsory sale of some branches should be in order. To that end, the company went to the Brussels Court of Appeal, Belgian newspaper De Tijd reports.

According to Carrefour, Intermarché has become too dominant in some regions since the takeover and it should sell eighteen of those shops. However, the court did not accede to that demand, with a ruling on the merits not due until 26 April. Carrefour claims to have lost market share and sales as a result of the takeover.