Carrefour Brasil has offloaded eight Nacional stores in the Brazilian city of Curitiba to local retailers Muffato and Festval, with each acquiring four locations.
Muffato is a leading food retail group in the Brazilian state of Paraná, while Festval is a regional retailer.
This transaction is part of Carrefour's larger divestiture of its Nacional and Bompreço chains, with the remaining stores likely to be sold in a similar manner.
The group intends to offload all 64 Nacional and Bompreço stores, with a combined annual revenue of R$1.5 billion (€237.5 million), equivalent to 6% of the group's sales in the retail segment, for between R$400 million (€63.3 million) and R$450 million (€71.2 million). Brazil’s Bradesco BBI bank is overseeing the sales process.
Nacional And Bompreço
The Nacional and Bompreço stores, which were part of the Grupo BIG acquisition in March 2021, are deemed to be underperforming and contributing negatively to Carrefour's earnings. Of the 64 outlets, 11 are directly owned and 53 are leased.
The divestment, expected to take place in the first half of 2025, will allow Carrefour to streamline operations and cut costs associated with rent, focusing on the large-format stores Atacadão and Sam's Club.
Carrefour anticipates keeping 21 profitable Carrefour Bairro stores after this process, which is projected to be completed by the first half of 2025.
Muffato Expansion
Muffato, Brazil's sixth-largest food retailer, has confirmed that the acquired stores will soon rebrand as Super Muffato as part of the company's 2025 expansion plan.
The acquisition is currently awaiting regulatory approval from Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade).
The group's extensive network now includes over 100 stores across Paraná and São Paulo, with a growing presence in São Paulo's interior through its Max wholesale chain. The company is eyeing further acquisitions in the state, especially in the capital.
