Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize has now found an independent operator for all the supermarkets it owns. It is almost a year since the chain announced its plan to operate a franchise system for its stores triggering protests from staff and unions.
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Delhaize finds independent operators for its remaining supermarkets
Colin Clapson
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On 7 March last year, Delhaize announced that its 128 supermarkets would in future operate under a franchise system and not be run as previously from the centre. That decision led to fierce protests among staff. Numerous union actions followed, but Delhaize management stuck to its guns.
Now Delhaize has released a list of the last 21 supermarkets that will get a new operator. These include eight people who already run one or more Delhaize stores, five are Delhaize employees and four are external candidates. They will take part in a training programme in coming weeks.
Of Delhaize’s 128 stores, 45 have now officially opened with new operators at the helm. Last week, CEO Frans Muller of parent holding company Ahold Delhaize said the whole operation was starting to yield "encouraging results".
