French retailer Carrefour has ceased all operations in Bahrain, following the closure of its stores in Oman in January and Jordan in November.
Carrefour announced its closure in a brief post on Instagram on Sunday, saying operations ceased on September 14. No reason was provided.
The closures come as Majid Al Futtaim, which operates Carrefour in the region, announced on Monday that it would launch its flagship grocery brand HyperMax at six locations across Bahrain.
Dubai-based Majid Al Futtaim did not comment on Carrefour's decision but said its new HyperMax stores would help strengthen local supply chains.
Majid Al Futtaim is one of Dubai's biggest private sector companies and the Middle East's largest mall operator. It brought French-owned Carrefour to the region in 1995.
HyperMax has 44 locations in Jordan and Oman.
In May 2013, Majid Al Futtaim Holding bought a 25 per cent minority stake from Carrefour Group in its hypermarket business for €530 million. At the same time, the Dubai company extended its exclusive franchise partnership with Carrefour until 2025.
Majid Al Futtaim Retail currently holds the exclusive rights to operate Carrefour across 12 markets in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, with a network of more than 390 stores, according to its website.
The company also operates Supeco, a low-cost hybrid grocery retail model that combines a traditional supermarket with a wholesale warehouse, across 17 locations in Egypt.
Majid Al Futtaim said HyperMax is partnering with more than 250 Bahraini farmers, producers and suppliers, and will operate with more than 1,600 employees.
The retail sector across the Middle East and North Africa is expanding, especially in the Gulf, where sales are forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.6 per cent to reach $386.9 billion in 2028, from $309.6 billion in 2023, Alpen Capital said in a report last year.
The growth is expected to be supported by an increase in population, rise in per capita income and boost in tourism activities, Alpen added.
