Carrefour takes over rival stores in Belgium | Progresiv
Carrefour is poised to take over nine points of sale from the Tocno supermarket chain in the proximity. The mini-markets are converted into Carrefour Express franchised stores. This is what the local media RTV and Made in Kempen indicate, information that has been confirmed by Carrefour. 
"We intend to acquire nine Tecno stores. In the next six months, they will be one-to-one converted to Carrefour Express, depending on how quickly we find franchisees", said Carrefour spokesperson Baptiste van Outryve.
The location of the nine points of sale is currently unknown. "Tecno is itself in charge of communicating information internally," says Baptiste van Outryve. The stores of the chain are mainly located in Kempen, within a radius of 50 kilometers from the head office of Herentals.
What is certain, however, is that the points of sale concerned will all be transformed into Carrefour express. "Carrefour express stores always have an area of 60 to 400m2, average area to which the 9 points of sale concerned correspond. There is no Tecno of more than 400m2. None of these stores will be transformed into Carrefour easy, "says Baptiste van Outryve. "The formula is moreover not only appropriate for urban centers, but also for villages where too few people live than to build a large supermarket.
These acquisitions demonstrate Carrefour's desire to continue expanding in 2017. "Last year, we opened 24 new Carrefour express stores, and we are looking forward to a further expansion this year."
Tecno is a family-run business founded more than 100 years ago by the Dams family. For years, she was active as a wholesaler before opening her first small supermarkets in Herenthout and Olen. The following years opened dozens of shops in the Kempen, Flemish Brabant and Limburg. (www.gondola.be)
