Bad news for many French people. Around sixty Casinos, both supermarkets and hypermarkets, will remain closed this weekend for a period of a few weeks. Indeed, this closure follows a total change in supermarkets established in France since 1957. According to information from BFMTV Saturday September 30, 2023, many of them are getting a makeover, but not only in an aesthetic way. For good reason, Casinos will completely disappear to make way for Intermarché. This decision follows the acquisition by Daniel Kretinsky, billionaire Marc Ladreit of Lacharrière and the British fund Attestor of Exsangue, the group that owns the Casino. The two parties reached an agreement last May regarding a future sale of 119 stores in two stages. A proposal that the Exsangue group could not refuse given its financial situation. Casino stores are mired in immense debt. The competitors had therefore promised the contribution of 1.2 billion euros in new money then a recovery of 5 billion of the debt.
A notable change
The transfer is therefore divided into two groups. A first wave of 59 establishments which must be completely transformed, including 10 from Saturday September 30, 2023. This therefore concerns three stores in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Albertville, Chasse-sur-Rhône, Vals-près-le-Puy), four in Burgundy-Franche-Comté (Besançon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Fontaine-lès-Dijon, Lons-le-Saunier), one in Center-Val de Loire (Tours La Riche), one in Hauts-de-France ( Amiens), one in New Aquitaine (Poitiers). The first opening is scheduled for Wednesday October 4, 2023. The second wave should take place “in the next three years, in accordance with the agreements concluded with Intermarché” as assured by the management of the Casino brandsAFP in mid-September 2023. A notable change for the group, but received more coldly by employees who fear having shortfalls, less good working conditions. For good reason, Intermarché does not benefit from a single social policy, but specific to each store owner.