Carrefour gives up three stores in Romania to get OK for Billa takeover

French retailer Carrefour has agreed to give up three supermarkets in Braila, eastern Romania, to get the Competition Council’s approval for the takeover of the Billa supermarket network. The group will transfer two Carrefour Market supermarkets and a Billa supermarket in Braila, after the Competition Council warned that the retailer may reach a dominant position in the city following the Billa takeover. Carrefour’s takeover of Billa does not raise any other competition concerns, according to Romania’s Competition Council. The French retailer signed a contract with German group Rewe, at the end of 2015, to buy the 86 Billa supermarkets in Romania. The transaction is worth EUR 95-100 million, including Billa’s debts. Carrefour currently has 29 hypermarkets, 108 supermarkets under the Carrefour Market brand, 53 proximity stores branded Carrefour Express and Carrefour Contact, and four Supeco stores. The retailer had sales of EUR 1.39 billion and a net profit of EUR 29 million, in 2015. The group has over 10,000 employees. Billa Romania had a turnover of EUR 340 million last year. editor@romania-insider.com