NewPrinces collapses on the stock exchange after the acquisition of Carrefour Italy

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) -NewPrinces plummeted at Piazza Affari in the aftermath of the news about the acquisition of Carrefour Italia. The stock of the company led by the Mastrolia family plummeted more than 11%, while in Paris, the French retail giant was flying.

New Princes Group, the former Newlat, will take over the entire Italian perimeter of Carrefour, i.e. 100% of Carrefour Italia, including the three companies under the parent company's umbrella, i.e. Carrefour Property, Gs Spa and Carrefour Finance, the factoring company. The deal - worth a total of €1 billion, broken down into €400 million in real estate value and €600 million in enterprise value - is expected to close by the fend of the third quarter of 2025. According to a note released by Carrefour, the sale will have a negative impact on the French group's liquidity of €240 million. The sale includes 1188 outlets, including 41 hypermarkets, 315 supermarkets and 820 shops.

The French group, which has accumulated heavy losses in Italy in recent years, has thus decided to exit a historic but no longer profitable market, marked by stagnating demand and several failed attempts at revitalisation. Looking at the financial figures, Carrefour Italia's total turnover amounts to approximately EUR 3.7 billion, with an Ebitda, including real estate activities, of EUR 115 million. Geographically, the supermarket network has a strong presence mainly in Northern Italy: 314 shops in Lombardy, 202 in Piedmont, 195 in Latium, 161 in Liguria, 54 in Tuscany, 49 in Emilia Romagna, and also in Valle d'Aosta and Sardinia. The group currently employs 18,000 people, of which 10,000 are direct and 8,000 indirect.

Notwithstanding the sale, Carrefour Italia will continue to use the Carrefour brand under licence for an agreed transitional period, as well as pay EUR 237.5 million as a one-off contribution to Carrefour Italia, 'in support of the industrial relaunch and business continuity,' a note said. New Princes, according to official statements, pledges to invest at least 200 million euro to relaunch its Italian operations.

NewPrinces President Angelo Mastrolia emphasised the strategic rationale of the operation, which aims at an integrated model between production and distribution. The objective is to directly access the end consumer, enhance the group's brands within the retail channel, and exploit logistical and operational synergies along the entire value chain.