Carrefour has officially registered the logo of its new wholesale format in France, imported from the Brazilian market.
The design of the Atacadão banner in France will be different from that used in Brazil and Morocco, the retailer said.
The French retailer submitted the request on 28 July and was granted approval on 18 August by the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI).
The logo registration indicates that Atacadão's debut in France is, in fact, close, despite question marks over the retailer's plans for the format.
Carrefour has already stated that the first outlet under the Atacadão banner will open in the first quarter of 2024.
Aulnay-sous-Bois
After previous plans in the commune of Sevran were rejected by local authorities, Carrefour recently announced that it had chosen Aulnay-sous-Bois as the destination for the first Atacadão outlet.
The plan would see an existing Carrefour-branded local shopping centre transformed into an Atacadão outlet, as part of an investment estimated at €10 million.
The municipality in question is located half an hour from Paris and, ironically, just a few kilometres away from Sevran.
Local Opposition
According to Brazilian daily O Globo, although the local mayor has embraced the idea, left-wing politicians and some inhabitants in Aulnay-sous-Bois oppose the project and are mobilising against the retailer's plans.
Among the reasons mentioned for their opposition are that the low-cost project threatens employment, favours excessive use of cars, undermines commercial supply and imposes a consumption model that goes against health and environmental issues.
Acquired by Carrefour in 2007, Atacadão, which operates around 250 outlets, accounts for almost 70% of the French group's revenues in Brazil. The self-service warehouse stores offer products in large quantities at discounted prices.
