The National Food Group will swallow these stores. Consent of the ministry

There are 750 stores and 40 shopping centers for sale in Poland. According to media reports, the company led by Alexandre Bompard opened the so-called “data room”, enabling potential investors access to key financial information regarding the Polish branch.

The Ministry of Agriculture officially recommended the takeover of Carrefour’s Polish assets by the state-owned National Food Group (KGS).

Carrefour stores will help the ministry control prices

The proposal was put forward by PSL MP and former Minister of Agriculture Marek Sawicki. – I informed the president of the National Food Group and informed Minister Balczun that it is worth recapitalizing the National Food Group to buy Carrefour. It is worth launching the sale of shares for farmers so that farmers become co-owners of this large retail chain – he said in October on Radio ZET.

At the end of November, the Ministry of Agriculture sent an application to the Minister of State Assets regarding KGS’s entry into the tender for the purchase of 750 stores and 40 Carrefour shopping centers. Supporters of the takeover of the stores by KGS emphasize that the state-owned entity could strengthen the position of Polish food producers, providing them with a stable market and stabilizing prices, which are a great concern for Polish farmers in 2025.

Carrefour has been operating on the Polish market since 1997. It sells in hypermarkets, supermarkets, wholesale and discount stores, local stores, specialist stores and online. There are also gas stations in middle and small towns. Data quoted by “Rzeczpospolita” shows that in 2024, sales to the French decreased by 3.3%. year on year, reaching PLN 9.33 billion compared to PLN 9.66 billion a year earlier.

In the first half of 2025, Carrefour generated EUR 1.15 billion in revenue in Poland. For comparison, the revenues of the Portuguese store chain Biedronka in the first quarter of 2025 are EUR 5.95 billion. Hence the understandable decision to sell the business.

Portuguese and Ukrainian competition for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

The problem is that KGS has two serious competitors. The chain that at the beginning of August 2025 signaled its willingness to take over French stores is the owner of Biedronka – the Portuguese Jeronimo Martins Group. Its goal is to achieve annual sales of EUR 50 billion per year by 2029. In Poland it reaches 72%. their revenues. However, Biedronka has a competitor.

Ukrainians are also interested in the legacy of the French. The Silpo chain of stores, owned by Fozzy Group, is the second largest food chain in Ukraine after ATB Market. At the end of June 2025, they operated 840 stores under the Silpo, Fora, Thrash!, Fozzy, Le Silpo, Favore and Foodpod brands.

Fozzy Group has already tested the operation of a Carrefour store in Poland by establishing the IDKFA IDCLIP company at the end of 2023, which runs a Carrefour store in Poznań on a franchise basis.

It is possible that Auchan, Kaufland, Netto and Żabka will also enter the race. Experts predict that the French’s assets will most likely be divided – due to the diverse formats of the stores, it is difficult to expect any investor to take over them in their entirety.