Background
      
            

On 17 June 2025, Groupement Les Mousquetaires announced that it had submitted a firm offer to Colruyt Group for the acquisition by its members of 81 supermarkets located in eastern and central-eastern France.



In view of the current control thresholds, which require the companies concerned to generate more than €15 million in retail turnover in France, the Autorité de la concurrence examined a total of 31 mergers involving 43 supermarkets.



Of the 31 clearance decisions issued by the Autorité, three are subject to a commitment to divest one store to a competitor in areas where consumers would not benefit from sufficient competition following the transactions.
      
      

                
          
        
            A rapid, careful examination of the effects of mergers on local food retail markets



The Autorité examined the mergers notified by ITM Entreprises and the members concerned by the acquisition of one or more Colruyt stores from 23 September 2025, the date on which the first notification files were submitted.



With the review of 31 mergers closed today, the Autorité has issued the clearance decisions within very short timeframes, generally within three weeks.



The notified transactions do not have any anticompetitive effects on the upstream markets for the supply of consumer goods, insofar as the increment in market share resulting from the acquisitions of the Colruyt supermarkets is limited. On the local food retail markets, the Autorité verified whether the disappearance of Colruyt in favour of Intermarché or Netto would significantly restrict consumer choice. The disappearance of a competitive offering can lead to price increases in areas where there are not enough food retail banners or to a deterioration in the quality of the services offered to consumers. In all cases, the Autorité ensured that consumers would have sufficient alternatives, both for everyday shopping and for more substantial purchases, which may require longer journeys.

Commitments have been submitted to address the competition concerns identified by the Autorité in three local areas: Poligny (39), Brazey-en-Plaine (21) and Sainte-Foy-l’Argentière (69)



The Autorité has cleared 28 transactions unconditionally since 23 September 2025.



Today, it has issued three decisions subject to a commitment to divest a store in three local areas where risks of harm to competition have been identified.



ITM Entreprises and each member concerned by the acquisition of joint control of a Colruyt store in those areas have committed to sell the following stores to one or more competitors approved by the Autorité:


	the Colruyt store (and adjoining service station) on rue Nicolas Appert, Poligny (39);
	the Colruyt store on rue de Verdun, Brazey-en-Plaine (21);
	the Colruyt store at 11 rue du Stade, Sainte-Foy-l’Argentière (69).




The commitments will ensure that a sufficient level of competition is maintained and that consumers’ interests are safeguarded in the markets concerned.



The Autorité, with the support of an independent trustee, will monitor the implementation of the commitments.
      
      
      

                
          
            

Over the past two years, the Autorité has examined plans to change the banners of more than 650 stores.



261 Casino stores under the Intermarché banner (Decisions 24-DCC-02 of 11 January 2024 and 24-DCC-255 of 28 November 2024).



98 Casino stores under the Auchan banner (Decision 25-DCC-65 of 21 March 2025).



27 Casino stores under the Carrefour banner (Decisions 24-DCC-288 of 13 December 2024 and 25-DCC-62 of 17 March 2025).



19 Casino stores under the Lidl banner (Decision 25-DCC-214 of 22 September 2025).



186 Cora and Match stores under the Carrefour banner (Decision 25-DCC-56 of 13 March 2025).



43 Colruyt stores under the Intermarché and Netto banners (Decisions 26-DCC-42, 26-DCC-45 and 26-DCC-51 of 17 February 2026).



A number of one-off transactions have also been analysed, involving the takeover of several Casino stores and several Colruyt stores by members of the E. Leclerc movement.



In order to maintain the conditions of healthy competition locally and ensure that consumers have access to sufficient alternatives for their food shopping, the companies submitted commitments each time the Autorité identified risks of harm to competition.



In total, the commitments made the various retailers consist of the divestiture of 28 stores – i.e. less than 5% of the stores acquired as part of the transactions – to competing banners approved by the Autorité to ensure the effective restoration of competition locally.



In 2026, the Autorité will continue to exercise its merger control role following the announcements by the Auchan group and Groupement Les Mousquetaires (Intermarché), which are likely to result in further banner changes.
      
      

                
          
        
          
            Decision 26-DCC-42 of 17 February 2026
      
          
            on the creation of a joint venture called Bear Sainte Foy by Soubonco and ITM Entreprises
      
        
                  
            
            The full text of the decision (in French) will be available soon
      
          
              
      

                
          
        
          
            Decision 26-DCC-45 of 17 February 2026
      
          
            on the creation of two joint ventures called Bear Champagnole and Bear Poligny by Allthi and ITM Entreprises
      
        
                  
            
            The full text of the decision (in French) will be available soon
      
          
              
      

                
          
        
          
            Decision 26-DCC-51 of 17 February 2026
      
          
            on the creation of three joint ventures called Bear Brazey, Bear Genlis and Bear Losne by Cataleya and ITM Entreprises
      
        
                  
            
            The full text of the decision (in French) will be available soon
      
          
              
      

                
          
  
    Contact(s)
          
                
          
              
          
        
              


      
      
      
  
    
      
            Maxence Lepinoy
      
      
            Chargé de communication, responsable des relations avec les médias
      
    
    
      
            06 21 91 77 11
      
      
     Contact us by e-mail

French Authority Approves Acquisition of Colruyt Stores with Conditions

The Autorité de la concurrence in France has concluded its review of the acquisition of 43 Colruyt supermarkets by Groupement Les Mousquetaires, granting clearance for 31 mergers with specific conditions. The authority mandated the divestiture of three stores to maintain competitive balance in local markets.

On June 17, 2025, Groupement Les Mousquetaires submitted a firm offer to acquire 81 supermarkets from Colruyt Group. The authority's review focused on the impact of these mergers on local food retail markets, ensuring that consumer choice would not be significantly restricted.

In total, the Autorité issued 31 clearance decisions, with three requiring commitments to divest stores in areas identified as lacking sufficient competition. The affected locations include Poligny, Brazey-en-Plaine, and Sainte-Foy-l’Argentière, where the divestitures are aimed at preserving consumer interests.

The authority has emphasized the importance of maintaining competition in local markets, particularly in the food retail sector, and will monitor the implementation of these commitments with the help of an independent trustee.



The Autorité de la concurrence closes its review of the acquisition of 43 Colruyt stores by Groupement Les Mousquetaires, with three clearances subject to the divestiture of three stores to one or more competing retailers

French Authority Approves Acquisition of Colruyt Stores with Conditions

The French competition authority has cleared the acquisition of 43 Colruyt stores by Groupement Les Mousquetaires, contingent upon the divestiture of three stores to ensure competition.