Biedronka wants to take over Carrefour. Time for hyperladybugs?
Carrefour is fed up with Poland and will focus on France, Spain and Brazil, where it gets 85% of its revenues
The chain currently has 737 stores in Poland (hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores and Supeco discount stores), but in 2025 it closed 46 branches, and year-on-year sales decreased by 1.7% to EUR 2.38 billion. The French hired JP Morgan to assess options for the future of the Polish business branch, including sales.
No, it’s not about hypermarkets, there will be no hyperbiedronkas
Biedronka is not interested in hypermarkets, but in franchises and smaller stores, i.e. hundreds of small outlets. The takeover would accelerate Jeronimo Martins’ goal of EUR 50 billion in annual sales by 2029. At the same time, it would mean a very significant concentration of the market in the hands of one entrepreneur – even without Carrefour, the Biedronka discount chain as a sales channel has 39% of the Polish market, which translates into 25% of the sales value on the food market. Therefore, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection would have to consent to the transaction.
It is worth emphasizing that Poland is one of the weakest markets within the group for Carrefour. In this situation, Jeronimo Martins is more a chance for the stores’ survival than some hostile force.
