The sale of 1,000 Carrefour stores in Italy to Angelo Mastrolia 's NewPrinces (see EFA News ) appears set to continue. According to rumors spread by French media, Carrefour is seeking buyers in an attempt to sell its stores and assets in Poland. The French supermarket chain, which operates over 14,000 stores in more than 40 countries, has reportedly hired financial advisors from JP Morgan to identify potential buyers for its 800 stores in Poland.

The company's Polish subsidiary, Carrefour Polska, stated that it is implementing "a strategic plan in response to changing market conditions." According to the Polish subsidiary, the company has "begun analyzing its business portfolio." However, there has been no confirmation or denial regarding what have been described as "market rumors" regarding the matter.

In Poland, as was partly the case in Italy, the decision is said to be based on the fact that Carrefour has never generated profits significant enough to compete with Polish discounters, where it has operated since 1997. While globally, the group increased sales by 9.9%, reaching a turnover of 94.6 billion euros, in Poland it recorded a 3% decline, with turnover stagnating at 2.4 billion euros.

The network of stores in Poland also decreased in 2024. Last year, Carrefour Polska operated 783 stores, almost 7% fewer than the previous year, falling below the 800 mark for the first time. These numbers are prompting the French group to sell its Polish business and evaluate new development opportunities in more profitable markets.

According to rumors, one of the main interested parties is the Portuguese group Jeronimo Martins, which has assessed how the acquisition of Carrefour Polska could help it achieve its ambitious target of 50 billion euros in annual revenue by 2029.

The Polish operation, in turn, may not be the last: further divestments of Carrefour stores in Romania are also planned. Carrefour had previously withdrawn from China and sold its stake in Carrefour Taiwan, a sign of a strategy increasingly focused on markets considered central to the group's future growth.