25-03-2026 17:47    Vincent

Share

Tweet

 

Clickbait

This morning, yet another “storm in a teacup.”
“So, have you heard? Did you see the news? An investment fund wants to acquire Carrefour Belgium.”

Before panicking… a quick timeline reminder.

• Last October
  Carrefour Belgium celebrated 25 years of presence in the country. Despite a challenging environment, the message was clear: confidence and the ambition to stay for at least another 25 years.
• Behind the scenes (October – December)
  Like every year, the group reviews its presence across markets. Belgium may not be a market leader, but the decline seems to have been halted and prospects are improving. Locally, the atmosphere is rather transparent and optimistic.
• A few weeks ago: Carrefour 2030 plan
  The announcement focusing on priority markets (France, Spain, Brazil) quickly triggered reactions from analysts. The quick conclusion: Belgium is not a priority.
  At Carrefour Belgium, no panic.
  But for media and analysts… plenty of articles published and plenty of clicks obtained.

I also played along by analyzing possible scenarios in an episode of The Retail Influencer: Should I stay or should I go?(yes, I also went for the clicks. If everyone is doing it, why not join the dance and crank up the audience numbers am I right?).

• This morning
  I thought I’d have a quiet workday—events, travel, interesting field insights to analyze… and then suddenly:
  “So, have you heard? There’s a fund that’s going to buy Carrefour Belgium.”

Let’s stay calm.
Selling Carrefour Belgium today would honestly be a highly questionable move from Carrefour France. One can debate recent strategic decisions, but not to the point of imagining such a move.

And as often… timing says it all.
A few hours later, an official statement from Carrefour France itself lands in my mailbox:

“Following the presentation of the Carrefour 2030 strategic plan, the portfolio review is now complete. In all our geographies, the priority is to continue the successful transformation underway, improve operational performance, and build a sustainable model for our customers and partners. Recent results in Belgium confirm the progress made and the positive momentum. Carrefour remains fully committed to developing its activities in Belgium over the long term.”

Conclusion?
A storm in a teacup.

But hey… let’s play the game. Let’s go for clicks.

Meanwhile, there are far more interesting stories to uncover in the field.

Happy clicking.