The Dia Group continues to be immersed in the implementation of its strategic plan with which it wants to give a change of course to its strategy in Spain. In this framework, it informed the market on Tuesday that, together with its subsidiaries Dia Retail España and Grupo El Árbol, it has signed an agreement with Auchan Retail (owner of Alcampo) to sell up to 235 supermarkets, located mainly in Castilla y León, Madrid, Aragón, Galicia and Asturias, two logistics warehouses located in Villanubla (Valladolid) and certain contracts, licenses and assets, together with the transfer of employees related to said establishments and warehouses.
According to the information sent to the CNMV, the maximum price of the operation will allow the Dia Group to obtain up to 267 million euros in cash, provided that all the conditions precedent and other terms established in the contract are met in circumstances that allow the complete execution of the contract. perimeter of the operation.
A cash that the group chaired by Stephan DuCharme will allocate to one of the main objectives of its strategic plan, such as the remodeling of the proximity stores of its current network, in addition to the acceleration of new openings within this same format. “At Dia España we are focused on a single proximity format and a unified store model. This operation allows us to advance faster in the objective of finishing the remodeling of our current network and accelerating the pace of store openings, generating opportunities for all our employees, franchisees and suppliers, allowing us to be even closer to our customers”, explained the CEO of Dia España, Ricardo Álvarez, in a statement.
The establishments offered to Alcampo are large-format supermarkets, more than 750 square meters, with attractive locations but outside the proximity and proximity environment in the neighborhoods in which Dia wants to focus to compete with its most direct rivals, such as Mercadona, Carrefour and Lidl.
For Alcampo, this network of sales points represents an opportunity to increase its presence in Spain and to be able to consider competing with the large local networks of the supermarket leaders in the country. "With this operation, Auchan Retail significantly strengthens its presence in a strategic country for the brand, with the ambition of accelerating growth in Spain", assured the president and CEO of Auchan Retail, Yves Claude.
The operation, which is still pending approval from the competition authorities and could be completed in mid-2023, affects 3,600 Dia employees who would become part of the Alcampo workforce. CC.OO. He assured that they understand the "business logic of Dia's resizing", but warned that he will demand guarantees for the maintenance of jobs and working conditions for all workers.
