In Brief: Leclerc & Jumbo; GPSB's DIY plans; Morliny & ZM Ostroleka

According to the Portuguese press, French hypermarket chain Leclerc will become the new owner of the five Jumbo hypermarkets in Poland, which currently belong to Portuguese retailer Jeronimo Martins. A merger with Jumbo would give Leclerc fifth place among foreign hypermarket operators in Poland. The report in Diario Economico has not been confirmed by the Polish branch of Jeronimo Martins. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 17) ... Grupa Polskie Sklady Budowlane (GPSB), a Polish distributor of building materials, plans to enter the retail sales market by opening 200 DIY shops in smaller Polish cities. The investment is estimated at between zl.200 million and zl.400 million. (Puls Biznesu, p. 7) ... Meat processing plant Morliny has signed an initial agreement with SPS Handel on the purchase of 76% of shares in another meat processor, ZM Ostroleka. The acquisition by Morliny is expected to save ZM Ostroleka from bankruptcy. The price of the transaction has not been revealed. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B3) P.W.