On Monday morning, 78 of Delhaize’s 128 self-managed supermarkets are open to customers while 50 shops kept their doors closed, a spokesman for the retailer told Belga. There was no action at the retail group’s depots.
Of the branches open on Monday morning, 16 (out of 25) were in Wallonia and 62 (out of 65) in Flanders. In the capital, all supermarkets kept their shutters down.
In early March, Delhaize’s management announced plans to franchise all of its 128 own-managed shops, prompting huge protests from trade unions, and incomprehension among workers who had previously been given labour assurances by the company.
Since then, many of these supermarkets have remained closed, particularly in Brussels and Wallonia.
Delhaize launched a temporary free home delivery service in early March. This measure has been extended until the end of April, the spokesperson said.
