Carrefour further expands Express brand in Romania with franchise deal over 20 stores of two Romanian retailers

French retailer Carrefour signed franchise contracts with two new chains of Romanian supermarkets, one in Bucharest – Ilfov, and the second chain in the central city of Brasov. The franchise contract will change five shops from the Traditional Ecologic in Bucharest and Ilfov brand into Carrefour Express. While 15 stores under the brand Rost Com in Brasov will also add the Carrefour Express logo. The companies have not yet given a timeline for re-branding. The new deal comes soon after Carrefour signed a similar franchise deal with supermarket operator Gulliver, under which the first two Gulliver supermarkets in Bucharest have already been re-opened under Carrefour's Express brand. The brand, Carrefour's local shop/mini market, has affiliated 24 franchised units so far, and runs three others directly. Carrefour started on this new strategy, to affiliate existing supermarket chains to its Express brand in 2011, with a first such contract with local supermarket operator Angst. The retailer runs 24 hypermarkets in Romania, 68 units under the brand Market and 27 under the brand Express. editor@romania-insider.com