After years of struggle, the retailer Auchan announced on Tuesday that it intends to operate all of its roughly 300 French supermarkets (excluding Corsica) as franchises under the Intermarché and Netto brands.

The project, "subject to prior approval from the relevant competition authorities", could take effect at the end of 2026, Auchan announced in a press release.

In practical terms, Auchan Retail, the group's distribution branch, is considering creating a "dedicated legal entity" to continue operating the stores that would change their brand name, through a franchise contract concluded with Intermarché.

"The business assets and the real estate will remain Auchan property, the employees will remain Auchan employees, and we will work under the Intermarché banner, which will supply us with goods, the commercial strategy, the store concept, and will provide the inventory", explained Guillaume Darrasse, CEO of Auchan Retail, to a small group of journalists.

"This is something that will strengthen us", he argued, saying the supermarkets would "immediately benefit from all the competitiveness factors of the Intermarché brand, including the ability to offer consumers strong prices, which is essential in an increasingly competitive market".

"It’s a win-win", agreed Thierry Cotillard, head of Les Mousquetaires/Intermarché, France's third-largest retailer. Auchan would benefit from their expertise, and the deal will enable the group to extend their footprint in the French market, he added.

In the past two years, Intermarché has carried out two major acquisition operations: nearly 300 Casino stores in 2023–24, and 81 Colruyt stores in mid-June.

For its part, Auchan, which had bet in 2024 on taking over nearly 100 Casino stores, has just sold 19 stores to Lidl, nine of which were among the supermarkets previously acquired from the Saint-Étienne-based chain. At the end of 2024, the retailer announced a restructuring plan involving nearly 2,400 job cuts. This plan was overturned in September by the administrative court in Lille, a decision the retailer has appealed.

The new cooperation between Auchan and Intermarché falls within a "broader partnership strategy" launched in 2024, including a major ten-year purchasing alliance, Cotillard recalled.