intermarché to Divest Eight Production Factories in Strategic Shift
The food processing division of intermarché, a French supermarket chain, has
revealed plans to sell off eight of its 55 production facilities. The
company aims to modernize its industrial operations and boost productivity
by focusing on core activities, while also committing to protect all
existing jobs.
In a move impacting its workforce,Agromousquetaires,the
agri-food subsidiary of Intermarché,communicated its intention on Friday,
May 23,to employee representatives to divest “in the coming months or years“,
eight of its 55 production factories. According to reports, this
decision aligns with a “refocusing” of Intermarché’s investments,
as outlined by Thierry cotillard last June. The strategy centers on
prioritizing “Raw and little processed products“, including milk,
produce, and meat.
The facilities slated for sale include the two Lyana factories in
Maine-et-Loire and Loire-Atlantique, Antartic II in Ardèche, the two
Captain Houat factories in morbihan and Pas-de-Calais, Captain Cook in
Finistère, the Fournil du Val de Loire in Indre-et-Loire, and Virtuous in
the Oise region. According to BFMTV, Intermarché has established
two conditions for these sales: “the buyer’s ability to
invest and develop employment“.
Non-Strategic Assets
These factories produce canned goods, flowers, and fruit juices. Intermarché
has deemed these activities as not “strategic” to its core business.
The company aims to modernize its industrial operations and improve
productivity. Christophe Barbeau, Delegate Force Ouvrière (FO) of the
Fournil factory, stated after a meeting with management that the group has
been given Between 12 and 30 months to try to find a serious
buyer, emphasizing that the priority is to
Keep all current jobs.
What we deplore is that they restore their coat of arms by buying the
casino […]but next to that they do damage by selling factories
The union representative criticised the move, saying: “what we deplore
is that they restore their coat of arms by buying the casino […]but next
to that they do damage by selling factories“. Intermarché recently
acquired 294 stores from its competitor Casino, with plans to close 30 of
them. The group also announced its intention to
Strengthen its distributor brands through a
250 million euros investment program over five years. This
investment supplements the 500 million euros announced in June 2024,
aiming to increase the Mousquetaires group’s agro-industrial sector turnover
to 6 billion euros by 2028, up from 4.7 billion euros in
2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is Intermarché selling these factories?
-
Intermarché is selling these factories as part of a strategic refocus to
prioritize raw and minimally processed products. - What will happen to the employees of these factories?
-
Intermarché has stated that preserving all current jobs is a priority
during the sale process. - How will Intermarché use the money from the sales?
-
Intermarché plans to invest the money in strengthening its distributor
brands and modernizing its remaining industrial operations.
