German retail giant Rewe has sold 25 of its Billa stores in Poland to French retailer Leclerc.
“I am very pleased that E. Leclerc won in Poland and that they are now having a critical mass on the market,” said Rewe CEO Alain Caparros today (3 August).
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Rewe said it wants to focus on the future of its Selgros cash-and-carry stores, of which it currently owns 12, and “push forward” expansion in the rest of Eastern Europe.
A spokesperson for Rewe told just-food: “With Selgros we are the unchallenged number two in the Polish cash-and-carry market and, apart from the 12 cash-and-carry stores which we already operate there, we are going to open another three markets by the end of 2010.”
The Billa stores are situated predominantly in the south of the country, employing around 1,600 staff and generating EUR100m (US$143m) in sales in the last year.
Leclerc currently operates around 200 food stores in Poland.
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By GlobalDataThe deal is still pending approval from the Polish competition authority on the deal. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Rewe operates in 16 countries with around 15,000 stores. Leclerc has around 600 branches in Europe, with 82 locations outside of France.
