The entrepreneur has taken a fundamental step in the sale of his main supermarket chain in Uruguay, Ta-Ta, to the Paraguayan group Vierci. This move aims to obtain liquidity and concentrate all financial resources on the acquisition of the French chain in the Argentine market, an operation that would make him one of the undisputed leaders of the national retail sector. The potential purchase, which is being negotiated with the French parent company, has intensified after other competitors such as Cencosud dropped out of the bidding. GDN's offer is not only based on its experience in the mass consumption business, demonstrated by the successful purchase of Walmart's operations in Argentina (today Changomás), but it has also been strengthened by a significant alliance. De Narváez has added IRSA, Argentina's largest real estate developer led by Eduardo Elsztain, as a partner. The investment fund L Catterton also remains in the alliance, which is already a partner of De Narváez in clothing brands such as Caro Cuore and Rapsodia. This partnership is crucial, as the potential acquisition of Carrefour not only covers the more than 700 stores of different formats (hypermarkets, market, wholesalers, and Express) but also the vast amount of land and real estate properties owned by the French chain. The alliance with IRSA, a heavyweight in real estate, suggests a strategy to exploit the construction potential of these assets. If the purchase is completed, Francisco De Narváez's group would create a retail giant that would handle close to 29% of the national market, adding the shares of Changomás and Carrefour. Carrefour Argentina has approximately 17,000 employees and its operations extend across 110 municipalities in the country. The merger would result in a conglomerate that would employ around 39,000 people and control about 800 stores throughout Argentina. The dispute for the French chain, which also has candidates such as the Coto group, the American Klaff Realty fund, and the Peruvian Intercorp conglomerate, is in a defining stage. Market sources indicate that De Narváez's divestment strategy in Uruguay is a sign of his firm determination to win the contest and complete one of the most important business operations of the year. Francisco De Narváez, owner of the GDN group (which operates the Changomás chain), is making key strategic moves to consolidate his position as the main candidate to acquire Carrefour Argentina's operations.
