7 August 2008 - The Romanian Competition Council has given the green light for the acquistion of retail chain La Fourmi by Belgium's Delhaize group, which runs the supermarket network Mega Image in the country.
Delhaize concluded and agreement in late March to acquire La Fourmi's 14 stores, all located in Bucharest, for 18.6 million euro from Greek investment fund Global Finance.
At the time, Renaud Cogels, Chief Executive Officer of Delhaize Group Southeastern Europe said: “With this acquisition, as well as with the acquisition of Plus Hellas in Greece in January, Delhaize Group shows its commitment to reinforce its presence in the Balkans. The acquisition of these 14 stores gives us the opportunity to strengthen our position in Romania and in particular in Bucharest, a city in rapid expansion.”
At the end of 2007, Mega Image had 22 stores, 19 in Bucharest, 2 in Constanta and 1 in Ploiesti. The number of employees at the end of 2007 was approximately 1,200 people.
Delhaize Group acquired a 51% stake in Mega Image in 2000, which became fully-owned in 2004.