The Belgian distributor Colruyt announced on Monday that 889 employees maximum were “likely to be dismissed for economic reasons” as part of the sale of its 104 stores in France.
The Belgian brand located in France since 1998 employs nearly 2,300 employees in France, mainly in the northeast quarter.
The Les Mousquetaires/Intermarché distribution group has committed last week to acquire 81 of these stores for a total amount of around 215 million euros.
This recovery project, presented Monday at the Colruyt Social and Economic Committee (CSE), “implies the automatic transfer of 1,319 employees,” the Belgian group said in a press release.
But some 24 other stores (one of which is not open) “would not be resumed”, adds Colruyt, who ensures carrying out “active research of additional buyers for the sites not taken up” and that “several brands of interest (…) have been received”.
“In total, this would imply the abolition of 950 jobs,” the Belgian group told AFP.
Among these, “the maximum number of employees likely to be dismissed for economic reasons would be 889”, according to the press release.
The headquarters, located in Rochefort-sur-Nenon (Jura), is not part of the project to take over the Mousquetaires group, the third player in the sector in France.
The too competitive French market?
“A job safeguard plan is being prepared with the social partners,” added the Belgian brand.
The elected officials of the CSE de Colruyt denounced a “decision deemed incomprehensible and socially destructive”, in a press release.
According to this same document, the deletions of posts “are envisaged by the first quarter of 2026” and “the official meeting for the launch of the procedure is scheduled for July 4 at 9 am”, at the Jura headquarters.
In April, Colruyt Retail France mentioned “difficult conditions on the very competitive French market in food distribution”, stressing that “despite important efforts on the profitability of its French activities, the expected results were not (had) been achieved”.
