Supermarket sweet

Ahold Polska caused quite a stir on November 6 when it announced it was closing its Polish operations, and with many international retailers keen to expand or enter the Polish market, there was plenty of speculation as to who would take over the Albert and Hypernova chains.

Last week the market got its answer when Ahold announced it had signed an agreement with Carrefour Polska. The French giant is taking over Ahold's Polish retail portfolio for EUR 375 (zł.1,425) million.

Ahold Polska has been present on Poland's market since 1995. It currently employs around 10,000 staff, owns 194 outlets (15 Hypernova hypermarkets and 179 Albert supermarkets) that amount to a total space of 180,000 sqm. In 2005, Ahold Polska achieved revenues of EUR 591 (zł.2,246) million net.

In addition, Carrefour has also acquired four petrol stations and three Ahold distribution centers, which are located in Poznań, Piotrków Trybunalski and Będzin.

In 2005, Carrefour Polska had revenues of EUR 1.173 (zł.4.46) billion net and, at the end of October, it owned 38 hypermarkets and 78 supermarkets, which amounted to 390,000 sqm of total space.

The transaction will be completed after receiving the acceptance of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, which is expected to be given in the first half of 2007. "Until receiving this permission, Ahold Polska will continue its normal operations," said Dominika Kosman, a spokesperson for Ahold Polska.

Maria Cieślikowska from Carrefour said the company is also waiting for the anti-monopoly office decision before it begins a detailed analysis of its new acquisition. "Because Ahold hypermarkets have different formats than Carrefour's, we will consider how to adjust them for the benefit of our customers," said Cieślikowska.

She added that the company is interested in all Ahold's stores, even those located near existing Carrefour shops. The company plans to re-brand all Ahold's outlets to the Carrefour brand.