Carrefour has continued to shrink its Polish store network, closing 88 locations since December 2025, according to figures the French group published for the third quarter of 2026 and reported by WP Finanse. The retailer ended September with 649 stores in the country, down from 676 at the end of June — a loss of 27 outlets in a single quarter, 18 of them convenience formats.
The most recent closures came at the end of October 2026. The Carrefour hypermarket in Galeria Echo in Kielce ceased trading, and a supermarket on Jana Pawła II Street in Sieradz, near the road out of town toward Złoczew, shut at the same time. WP Finanse reports that the roughly 6,000 square metres freed up in Kielce will be split between two new tenants, IKEA and CentrumRowerowe.pl, both scheduled to open in the first half of 2027.
Why it matters
The closures are part of a deliberate restructuring rather than a sudden retreat. Carrefour attributes the decisions to expiring lease agreements and locations that have failed to turn a profit over a sustained period, according to WP Finanse. For shoppers in mid-sized Polish cities, the effect is a thinner network and fewer large-format options; for the company, it is a bet that a smaller, more viable estate is better than broad coverage.
The scale is notable. Losing 88 stores in under a year amounts to a meaningful share of the chain's Polish footprint, and the quarterly pace — 27 closures between July and September alone — suggests the programme is running quickly rather than being phased in gradually.
More closures confirmed and pending
Further shutdowns are already in the pipeline. According to the retail portal dlahandlu.pl, cited by WP Finanse, Carrefour plans to close its supermarket in Galeria Olimpia in Bełchatów. The chain has confirmed the intention but has not given a date.
Two more locations are on the list: a store in the Bemowo shopping centre in Warsaw and one on Narcyzowa Street in Olsztyn. WP Finanse reports that these are among the sites affected by the restructuring.
Job cuts across four cities
The store closures carry staffing consequences. On 10 September 2026, Carrefour Polska notified the district labour office in Warsaw of plans for collective redundancies covering up to 210 employees. The affected staff work in Warsaw, Sieradz, Olsztyn and Bełchatów, and the process is due to finish in December 2026.
Not everyone covered by the restructuring will leave the company. WP Finanse reports that some employees are to be offered transfers to other Carrefour stores or different positions within the business.
The closures also sit alongside wider turbulence in the Polish labour market. Other outlets in the same news cycle have reported redundancy plans in the capital involving large employers, with close to 1,300 workers at risk according to Biznes Wprost, and Radio ESKA reported that Amazon and Carrefour are both reducing headcount in Warsaw. Separate coverage noted that average wages in the capital have passed 11,000 złoty even as employment levels fall.
What to watch
Carrefour has not indicated when the restructuring will end, and the Bełchatów, Warsaw and Olsztyn closures still lack firm dates. The next signal will be the group's fourth-quarter figures, which will show whether the pace of closures seen between July and September carries into the final months of the year.
