In a few months, the Toison d’Or hypermarket will no longer be managed by the Carrefour France group. As our colleagues from France 3 Bourgogne indicate, the establishment will be placed in a “lease-management” situation, i.e.like 38 other stores. This mode of governance, close to the concept of franchise, allows the owner to grant an entrepreneur the right to exploit this fund, subject to several conditions defined by a contract, including the payment of a royalty.
“The choice of rental management is the choice to avoid the closure of hypermarkets in difficulty,” describes Carrefour in a press release. “Since 2018, rental management has proven its ability to turn around the performance of highly loss-making stores, thanks to local management and more agile management of the tenant-manager. » Thanks to this method, the French group is pleased that no Carrefour hypermarket has closed since 2018. In fact, this practice is, above all, a way of reducing the costs linked to the operation of establishments belonging to a same brand. But this change of model is going badly internally.
Lose most of the advantages and acquired
For employees, the news broke suddenly on Friday January 10. “It’s a big blow to the head,” sadly admits Sarah Dupaty, elected to the social and economic committee (CSE) and to the CFDT (French Democratic Confederation of Labor). “We suspected that the store could be placed under management lease in four, five or six years, but no one expected it. » For the 300 employees of the Dijon site, since the announcement, the atmosphere has been “sad” and “gloomy” according to the CFDT elected official.
“Carrefour will therefore relieve itself of all employment contracts, salaries, associated costs and fluids. And in 15 months, the employees of Carrefour Toison d’Or will lose most of the benefits and acquired benefits: profit-sharing and participation bonuses, the 6e week of paid vacation and the mutual share,” protests Hervé Kiening, general secretary CFDT Services 21. Waiting days, in the event of sick leave or even in-store discounts could be reduced.
“Exemplary social support”
“Are we talking about unprofitable stores? Even though Alexandre Bompard – the boss of Carrefour Editor’s note – received €10 million in salary, or 554 years of salary for a checkout attendant,” he asserts, letting go that “legal action” is planned.
Carrefour management responds, in return, that “exemplary social support has been decided”. “The Labor Code provides that all contracts of existing employees are taken over by the tenant-manager with the attached rights: seniority, salary and qualification,” concludes the brand.
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