Belgian supermarket chain Colruyt is taking over 57 of Belgium's 77 Match and Smatch shops. The other shops are likely to close down, threatening up to 690 jobs.
The 57 Belgian Match and Smatch shops, which are currently part of the Louis Delhaize group, will be owned by Colruyt. In practice, this concerns 28 Match supermarkets and 29 Smatch convenience stores. The 1,069 employees from these stores will transfer to the Colruyt group and keep their jobs and pay conditions.
The acquired shops account for combined sales of €300 million, with Colruyt calling them "geographically complementary to the group's existing food store network," Belga News Agency reports.
Among others, the Okay, Spar and Bio-Planet shops are currently already flying the Colruyt flag. A takeover price has not been disclosed.
Still, the takeover means that the curtain may fall on the remaining Match and Smatch shops, which are those that have not been or will not be taken over, Louis Delhaize's management announced at a special works council on Friday morning.
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As a result, up to 690 jobs are at risk at Match, Profi (the company behind Smatch) and Associated Retail, which partly handles logistics for both brands.
Together, Match and Profi (Smatch) operate 77 outlets, of which 30 are under the Match brand and 47 are under the Smatch brand. There are also eight franchised outlets, including three from Smatch and five Match supermarkets.
