Carrefour withdraws from Middle East amid boycott pressures

Carrefour has closed all its stores in Oman, following a similar withdrawal from Jordan two months prior. The French retailer has been targeted by boycott campaigns by groups who allege the retailer has ties to Israel.

Hypermax

Carrefour ceased its operations in Oman on 7 January, as Majid Al Futtaim (Carrefour’s franchise partner in the Middle East) is gradually replacing Carrefour with its new brand Hypermax. This transition mirrors the changes implemented in Jordan in November of the previous year.

Carrefour has had a longstanding presence in the region, as Majid Al Futtaim opened the first Carrefour hypermarket in Dubai in 1995. By 2020, the group managed over 320 stores across sixteen countries. The French company has not provided specific reasons for its withdrawal, but simply thanked its customers for “their years of support” on Facebook.

Ongoing calls for boycotts

Geopolitical tensions in the region are likely a significant factor in this decision: Carrefour is targeted by the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions), which advocates for boycotts of companies they allege have ties to Israel.

Other companies on the BDS list ar Starbucks, Siemens, SodaStream, Expedia, Disney+, and McDonald’s. The movement says these boycott campaigns have caused substantial financial damage, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. McDonald’s has acknowledged that its revenue in the Middle East suffered due to the boycott, even leading the fast-food chain to miss its quarterly forecast.