“The ax has fallen! CS 778 (Malestroit 56) store closing on October 5! 32 years of career and 19 co-workers”; “Géant Malemort CG 330, the same fate at the end of September: 35 years of career and 68 companions”; “cg304 st brieuc, no buyer, therefore final closing on September 30”; “Odysseus, final closing on September 30”…
For a month now, employees of Casino hypermarkets and supermarkets have been recording in Facebook groups, as epitaphs, the date on which their store will definitively lower the curtain. Hence the “CG”, from Casino Géant, “CS” from Casino Supermarché, with its internal nomenclature, all accompanied by crying and angry emojis.
This puts an end to the last establishments that Casino has not been able to sell. The epilogue of the sudden collapse, in 2023, of a historic highly indebted large-scale distribution group, which led to its acquisition, on March 27, by Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky (associated with Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, founder of the Fimalac holding, and the British investment fund Attestor), as well as the sale of all its hypermarkets and supermarkets.
More than 400 stores were sold, mainly to Intermarché and Auchan, but also to Carrefour, forcing the reorganization of all the group’s divisions. A social explosion. At the end of April, the number of positions eliminated was estimated between 1,293 and 3,267, depending on which stores had to close. At the end of 2023, Casino had 44,168 employees in France.
“Feeling of bitterness”
To date, 19 stores are expected to close permanently, on Monday, September 30 for some and Saturday, October 5 for others (excluding franchisees). Even if, we would like to point out within the company, “The expressions of interest that could arrive between the end of September and the beginning of October will be analyzed”.
Among the employees, all traces of hope have disappeared, giving way to “a feeling of bitterness, anger and great waste”sighs Ariane Vailland, human resources director of the Gigante Montpellier Odysseum, “12,000 square meters, the last hypermarket opened by the group, fifteen years ago”. After having developed her entire career in Casino and having met the father of her children there, she is elected CFE-CGC “ [pensait] end there [sa] professional life with peace of mind.” “And overnight, at 58 years old, they tell you that you are going to have to sell yourself in the job market”he laments.
Laurent Cordier, elected FO for the social and economic committee of the Casino Valence 2 supermarket, still remembers that day at the beginning of September when “The ax has fallen” for the 30th of the same month. “There was a great void”says this father. Some of his companions began to cry. “We knew it, but until we had the date…”
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