French retailer Carrefour launches its Supeco stores in Romania

French retailer Carrefour launches its first Supeco store in Romania, in the city of Ramnicu Valcea, on Thursday, September 25. This is a new concept, a mix between discounter stores and cash&carry. The group plans to open such stores in Giurgiu, Targoviste and Slatina, targeting medium sized cities in Romania. The new stores are operated through Supeco Investment SRL, a new firm registered in Romania for this purpose, according to local news portal Economica.net. The Supeco stores will compete with discounters such as Lidl, Penny and XXL Mega Discount. They will cover 1,500 to 2,000 sqm, according to the hiring ads that Carrefour posted for these stores. The concept was first implemented in Spain. Carrefour currently has 162 units in Romania, of which 26 Carrefour hypermarkets, 81 Carrefour Market supermarkets, and 54 proximity shops under the brands Carrefour Express and Contact. The group had total sale of EUR 1.15 billion in Romania in 2013. editor@romania-insider.com