Customers in several French towns may soon notice changes in their local grocery shopping as Auchan completes a major restructuring of its retail network. The company is in the final stages of selling its remaining 17 supermarkets to the Lidl brand, following the sale or transfer of the majority of its 266 stores. This move is part of Auchan’s broader strategy to shift its focus toward hypermarkets and reduce its presence in the smaller supermarket segment. The transaction is currently being presented to employee representative bodies and must be approved by competition authorities before it can proceed. If all goes smoothly, the changes could take effect in the first quarter of 2027. The affected stores are located across various regions of France, including Vézeronce-Curtin, Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, Salernes, Saint-Jean-de-Bournay, Forcalquier, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Montpon-Ménestérol, Cahors, Villefontaine, Calais, Saint-Quentin, Sallèles-d’Aude, Crest, Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban, Aurec-sur-Loire, Vitry-sur-Seine, and Harnes. These stores will be operated by Intermarché and Netto, which are part of the Mousquetaires group. In addition to the 17 stores being sold to Lidl, the Mousquetaires group has already acquired 72 other Auchan supermarkets that were previously put up for sale. Auchan has already transferred 164 of its supermarkets to the A + Super entity, which is owned by Auchan Retail France but operated under franchise by Intermarché or Netto. This transition is set to begin on October 1st, with the full rebranding of these stores expected to be completed by May 2027. The company has emphasized that this transformation does not involve closing any stores, as each of the 266 locations will continue to operate under a new brand. Auchan is holding an exceptional social and economic committee meeting this Thursday to discuss the implications of this restructuring for employees and local communities. The company aims to streamline its operations by focusing on its hypermarket chain, which has seen greater success in recent years. As the transition unfolds, customers will need to adjust to new store names and logos, but all locations will remain open under new management.