On 13 July 2023, Intermarché notified the Autorité de la concurrence of its plan to acquire 61 food retail stores operated under the Casino group banner.

To take account of the stores’ difficult economic situations, the Autorité granted the Intermarché group, at its request, a derogation from the suspensive effect of merger control[1]. In accordance with the applicable rules, this derogation, which enabled Intermarché to complete the transaction without waiting for the Autorité to issue its decision, is without prejudice to the final decision of the Autorité, which, at the end of its investigation and competitive analysis, could call into question certain acquisitions by considering that remedies would be necessary. Intermarché completed the transaction in September 2023.

After careful examination of the takeover, the Autorité has cleared the acquisition of the target stores, subject to commitments presented by Intermarché, including the divestiture of three stores.



[1] Derogation granted under Article L. 430-4 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce) by letter dated 9 August 2023.

Autorité de la concurrence approves Intermarché's acquisition of Casino stores with divestiture conditions

Intermarché has received clearance from the Autorité de la concurrence to acquire 61 food retail stores operated by Casino, but is required to divest three stores as a condition of the approval. The Autorité granted Intermarché a derogation from the suspensive effect of merger control, allowing the transaction to be completed before the final decision was issued. The divestiture of the three stores is intended to address competitive concerns raised during the investigation.

Autorité de la concurrence approves Intermarché's acquisition of Casino stores with divestiture conditions

The Autorité de la concurrence has cleared Intermarché's acquisition of 61 food retail stores operated by Casino, subject to the divestiture of three stores.