Carrefour confident for 2026, Cora & Match acquisition weighs on 2025 operating profit

Carrefour SA

17/02/2026 16:48

PARIS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Carrefour CARR.PA, Europe's largest food retailer, said on Tuesday it was approaching 2026 with confidence after integration costs tied to the acquisition of the Cora and Match stores in France weighed on group operating profit last year.

Carrefour reported a recurring operating income of 2.158 billion euros ($2.55 billion) for 2025, a 5.4% reported decline, which reflected a 210 million euros hit from the integration of Cora and Match.

Carrefour CEO Alexandre Bompard is set to lay out a new strategic plan on Wednesday as the retailer tries to turn its performance around.

Carrefour's operating profit margin has declined since the pandemic, from 3.1% in 2021 to 2.6% in 2025, as Carrefour lost market share in France to competitors like privately-owned E. Leclerc and its large out-of-town hypermarkets suffered from the shift to online shopping.

Despite the previous two strategy plans, Carrefour's share price is still down nearly 29% since July 2017 when Bompard took over.

Carrefour is also disposing of non-core assets and last week announced the planned sale of its Romanian business for 823 million euros, having sold its loss-making Italy business in December. Excluding Italy, net free cash flow stood at 1.565 billion euros last year.

($1 = 0.8460 euros)

Carrefour shares have declined 28% since CEO Bompard started in the job https://www.reuters.com/graphics/CARREFOUR-RESULTS/xmvjqzyajpr/chart.png

 (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Editing by Helen Reid)

 ((dominique.vidalon@thomsonreuters.com; +33149495432; Reuters Messaging: dominique.vidalon.reuters.com@reuters.net/))