The retailer Colruyt is to take over 57 of the 77 Match and Smatch stores in Belgium. The jobs of the more than 1,000 people that work at the 57 stores are guaranteed. However, the future of the 690 staf that work at the 20 stores that are not being taken over are under threat. Colruyt is taking over 28 Match supermarkets and 29 Smatch convenience stores from their current owner Louis Delhaize says the pay and conditions of the 1,069 people that work at the 57 stores will remain unchanged.
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Colruyt taking over 57 Match and Smatch stores, 690 jobs under threat at a further 20 stores
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The stores have a combined turnover of 300 million euros. In a statement Colruyt described its new acquisitions as "geographically complementary to the group's existing food store network". How much the Colruyt Group hhad paid Louis Delhaize for the stores has not been disclosed.
The future of the other 20 Match and Smatch stores is uncertain. Louis Delhaize management announced the news at an extraordinary meeting of the company’s Works Council on Friday morning. Up to 690 jobs are at risk at Match, Profi (the company behind Smatch) and Associated Retail, which is partly responsible for of both brands’ logistics.
There are currently 30 Match supermarkets and 47 Smatch convenience stores that are run inhouse. In addition to this there are five Match supermarkets and 3 Smatch stores that are run by franchisees.
Match and Smatch already closed several stores in 2019. The corona crisis caused a temporary revival, but the chain has consistently recorded losses during the past few years.