Géant Casino () was a

hypermarket A hypermarket or superstore is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including full grocery lines and general merchandise. In ...

chain based in

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...

, France, part of the French retailing giant Groupe Casino. In 2022, the brand was gradually replaced by Casino #hyperFrais. Between June 2023 and October 2024, in the grip of a financial crisis linked to its debt, the group closed or sold all of its hypermarkets in France to competitors. During this crisis, the brand is also gradually being replaced by competitors in various countries.

History

Géant opened its first hypermarket in 1970. In December 2015, Géant Casino had about 142 hypermarkets all over the world. The concept is, like most hypermarkets, to have all kinds of items available under one roof. A loyalty card system has been introduced by Géant, with a price discount on certain groceries. In June 2022, with the aim of re-emphasizing the food side of hypermarkets, and after the transfert of 29 hypermerkets to the brand Casino Supermarchés. The Groupe Casino announce the discountinuation of the Géant Casino brand in favor of the new brand Casino #hyperFrais. For financial reasons, the group closed or sold all of its hypermarkets in France to competitors between June 2023 and October 2024.

Former locations

* Lebanon: Géant had one hypermarket in Lebanon which was bought in late 2008 by Sultan Trading Center and replaced by The Sultan Center to be replaced by

Carrefour Carrefour Group, S.A. (, ), is a French multinational retail and wholesaling corporation headquartered in Massy, Essonne, Massy, France. It operates a chain of hypermarkets, grocery stores and convenience stores. By 2024, the group had 14,000 ...

in 2017 upon its closure in Lebanon * Poland: Géant had nineteen hypermarkets in Poland, which were sold in late 2007 and early 2008 to the German company

Metro AG Metro AG is a German multinational company based in Düsseldorf which operates business membership-only cash and carry stores primarily under the Metro brand. , Metro is operating 626 wholesale stores in 21 countries, including Europe and P ...

and replaced with Real. * Taiwan: Géant had several hypermarket locations in Taiwan in a joint venture with a Taiwanese company. After Géant pulled out of the country, the existing hypermarkets were renamed a.mart. * Saudi Arabia: Al Hokair Group operated several Géant stores in the kingdom until 2009 when it was sold to Saudi Savola, the owners of rival

Panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Its body is ...

. * Kuwait, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates: Fu-Com joined with Groupe Casino to bring the Géant hypermarket brand to the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

where Géant opened its first store in

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

in May 2001. A store was opened in

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

in 2005 and one in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

in 2015 at Yas Mall. Géant expanded its operations to Kuwait by opening a store in 2005 in

Kuwait City Kuwait City (; ) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economic center of the emirate, containing Kuwait's Seif Pal ...

. In 2017, Dubai-based

Majid Al Futtaim Group Majid Al Futtaim Holding () is an Emirati holding company based in Dubai. The family-owned conglomerate owns and operates shopping malls, retail, and hotel establishments in the Middle East and North Africa. The firm was established by M ...

bought 26 Geant hypermarkets in the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait by acquiring the Geant franchise owner Retail Arabia from BMA International for an undisclosed amount. The acquired stores were rebranded as

and Carrefour Market for its supermarket branches. * France: For financial reasons, the group closed or sold all of its hypermarkets in France to competitors between June 2023 and October 2024. * Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon and Senegal: In 2023, Mercure International of Monaco began replacing Géant brands with Coopérative U in Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon and Senegal.

Visual history

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geant Groupe Casino Hypermarkets of France Retail companies established in 1970 Companies based in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes French companies established in 1970 French brands

History

Former locations

Visual history

See also

References

External links