The head of Carrefour’s hypermarket business in Belgium, a troubled market for the French retail giant, has stepped down from the role.

Geert Uytterschaut is to leave the business “by mutual agreement”, a spokesman for Carrefour Belgium told just-food today (7 May).

Carrefour, the world’s second-largest retailer, wants to revamp its operations in Belgium to make the business more efficient and to focus on the most profitable stores.

However, local workers have protested against plans to close stores and have used industrial action in a bid to get Carrefour to change its plans.

Nevertheless, the spokesman insisted Uytterschaut’s departure was a “logical” consequence of Carrefour Belgium having a recently-appointed managing director in Gerard Lavinay.

The spokesman insisted there had been no major clash on strategy and thanked Uytterschaut for his contribution to restructuring Carrefour’s hypermarket business in Belgium.

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Merchandising director Olivier Langlet will succeed Uytterschaut. Thierry Etchemendigaray, an executive from Carrefour’s business in Italy will fill Langlet’s role.

The spokesman, meanwhile, said Carrefour would hold fresh talks with union officials next week on the company’s restructuring plans but he declined to comment further.

 

 

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