CAIRO (Reuters) – Carrefour’s Middle East franchisee Majid Al Futtaim has suspended Carrefour Jordan and is replacing it with a new brand, Hypermax, it announced on Tuesday, without giving a reason for the decision.
Carrefour Jordan had announced late Monday in a Facebook post that it would no longer operate in the country.
“We thank our customers and apologize for any inconvenience that may result from this decision,” Carrefour Jordan said in the post, without providing a reason for the closure.
Majid Al Futtaim, the exclusive Middle East franchisee of French retailer Carrefour, said in an emailed statement that it “regularly reviews and assesses its businesses to ensure it remains agile in adapting to evolving market dynamics”.
Carrefour, which launched in Israel in May last year under a franchise agreement, has been targeted by the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) movement over its business in the country.
The Carrefour Jordan Facebook post was shared more than 7,000 times, with many comments linking the closure to the boycott campaign over Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Majid Al Futtaim said Hypermax, a “brand-new Arab grocery chain”, would be rolled out across all 34 of its stores across the country. It said Hypermax meets the needs of its Jordanian customers and their preference for locally sourced products.
It was not clear whether the stores would be shut during the rollout of Hypermax, with Majid Al Futtaim saying only that it would ensure minimal disruption to customers.
A spokesperson for Carrefour declined to comment, referring Reuters’ questions to Majid al Futtaim.
(This story has been officially corrected to clarify that the number of stores is 34, not 36, in paragraph 7)
(Reporting by Menna Alaa in Cairo and Helen Reid in London, Editing by Louise Heavens and Chizu Nomiyama)
