Metro Belgium to be acquired by foodservice competitor Sligro

The verdict is in: the combination of Sligro and Van Zon has been approved as acquirers of Metro in Belgium. Thus ruled the Antwerp enterprise court today. Last Friday, the prospective buyers and the unions already met in court to explain their visions for the future of Makro Cash & Carry Belgium.

The court then stated that Sligro had made the best bid. In particular, the combination with Van Zon, which wanted to take over the Evergem branch, offered the best chances, according to the delegated judge.

Sligro will pay over 47 million for its wholesale competitor, the company now reports, saying it will offer 506 employees “a sustainable future”. From its head office and regional structure, Sligro will take over “around 100 employees”. The Dutch company will finally acquire nine of the 11 shops: from the Antwerp-North branch, the foodservice wholesaler will take only the employees, while the Evergem (East Flanders) branch will go to Van Zon.

The Belgian market authority had already indicated it would allow the takeover, although the formal investigation has yet to be completed. During the court-supervised restructuring process, the watchdog has “invested a great deal of time and energy in investigating the market consequences”, Sligro says. Therefore, the authority had “issued an ‘unconditional decision to grant an exemption’, which means that this transaction can go ahead immediately”.

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