Now that Carrefour has reached an agreement with the unions on Sunday opening in its integrated Belgian stores, the pressure is mounting on competitors who do not (yet) open on Sundays. But for the time being, they are holding back.
Competitive disadvantage
For Carrefour, the agreement with the unions is a major boost: in the midst of a turbulent week, with rumours about a possible exit from Belgium, the retailer can announce that 83 company-operated stores (including 40 hypermarkets) will open their doors on Sunday mornings starting 18 January – follopwing nearly a year of negotiations. Carrefour is the second integrated supermarket chain after Okay (Colruyt Group‘s proximity store chain) to reach such an agreement.
