Carrefour announces staff reductions at central offices

Carrefour takes another step in its plans to exit the Italian market. First the rumours of a possible exit from the Italian market (see Il Sole-24 Ore of 14 June 2025 ndr), rumours that have not been denied by the French multinational, and now the announcement of a staff reduction at the Milan headquarters, with 175 positions cut as a result of 'a strategic reorganisation plan,' reads a note from the company committed to 'further accelerating the business transformation process, centred on the franchising model, and relaunching the company's financial and commercial sustainability'. In the note, however, the causes are clearly stated: 'The decision is closely linked to the complexity of the Italian market conditions, within which the large-scale retail sector is characterised by intense and fragmented competition, in the face of declining purchasing power and constant pressure on margins, determined by energy and logistics costs and rising interest rates'.

According to the Sole-24 Ore newspaper, up to a thousand people worked at the head office in recent years, then reduced to the current 700. Now the announcement of further cuts at the Milan office in Via dei Calchi Taeggi, Bisceglie area, while other offices of the brand are at the point of sale in Milanofiori in Assago. The staff involved 'will be managed in full compliance with current regulations and by seeking solutions that guarantee the least social impact for the workers involved. The company will adopt an approach based on constructive and responsible dialogue, through the active involvement of the social partners'.

Carrefour is active in Italy with a multi-format network of around 1,200 shops, of which around 900 are franchised. In recent years, Christophe Rabatel, CEO of Carrefour Italy since 2020, has worked to lighten positions by transferring several hundred proximity shops (Market and Express) to managers who had become franchisees of the brand. Other cuts had been made in the autumn of 2021 when the collective redundancy procedure was formalised with 769 redundancies, including 168 jobs at the administrative offices in Milan, Nichelino, Rome, Airola, Gruliasco, Naples, Rivalta and Moncalieri.

In Italy, Carrefour employs more than 10,000 people in its network of direct shops, plus around 8,000 employees in its franchise shops. In 2025, it was awarded Top Employer status for the eighth consecutive year.