All major supermarket chains in Belgium sell their stores to franchisees.
Once again Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo is selling off three supers in Belgium. They are sold to franchisees in the summer. Last year, Jumbo also sold two branches. Jumbo still has seventeen supermarkets under its own management in Belgium. Sixteen are owned by local entrepreneurs.
According to Jumbo, franchise stores are more successful than self-managed stores. This has to do with the lower wage costs for franchisees compared to retail locations that are managed directly by the chains.
That is also why Delhaize decided last year to franchise all 128 branches in Belgium. Half of the stores there have been sold out. Dutch chain Albert Heijn still focuses exclusively on franchise stores for its Belgian expansion.