Intermarché Restructures: Divestment and investment Strategy
Intermarché, the French supermarket giant, is undergoing a important strategic shift, marked by the sale of eight production units. This move is part of a broader “refocusing” of investments, initially announced in June 2024 by Thierry cotillard. The company aims to concentrate on raw and little transformed products
, such as meat, plants, and milk.
Strategic Prerequisites for Buyers
Intermarché has outlined specific criteria for potential buyers, emphasizing two key prerequisites:
- The buyer’s ability to invest in the facilities.
- The buyer’s commitment to developing employment opportunities.
Production Units on the Block
The production units slated for sale include:
- Two Lyana factories in Maine-et-Loire and Loire-atlantique
- Antartic II in Ardèche
- Captain Cook in Finistère
- Two Captain Houat factories in Morbihan and Pas-de-Calais
- The Fournil du Val de loire in Indre-et-Loire
- Virtuemnus in Oise
These facilities are involved in the production or conditioning of items such as fruit juices, canned goods, and flowers. Intermarché’s management no longer considers these activities strategic
, leading to the decision to accelerate the modernization of it’s industrial pole and strengthen its competitiveness.
Employee Concerns and Management Assurances
The proposed sale has raised concerns among employees. Christophe Barbeau, a FO delegate at the Fournil de Val de Loire factory, which employs around 160 people, stated that the new project is stopped, they put our factory on sale, they give themselves between twelve and thirty months to try to find a serious buyer.
He added that management assured them that the priority of priorities is to try to keep all jobs.
union Criticism Amidst Expansion
Frédéric Londais, a CGT delegate from the same site, voiced criticism, stating, What we deplore is that they restore their coat of arms by buying the casino […]but alongside that they do damage by selling factories.
This sentiment reflects concerns about the juxtaposition of Intermarché’s expansion through acquisitions and its divestment of production units.
Intermarché’s recent acquisition includes 294 stores from Casino. However, the company also plans to close 30 of these stores.
Significant Investment Program
Despite the divestments, Intermarché has announced a significant investment program. The company will invest 250 million euros over five years to strengthen
its distributor brands. This investment is in addition to the 500 million euros announced in June 2024.
