Groupe Casino has put forward proposals to merge the management teams of both its hypermarket and supermarket operations in a bid to cut down costs.
The plan involves bringing together the French grocer's supermarket leaders, who have overseen resilient results through the economic crisis, and hypermarket management, who have experienced a downturn in fortunes during the recession.
Reuters reported that supermarket head Andre Lucas would become chief operating officer of the new structure if the proposals, which have recently been put to employee representatives, are implemented in 2010 as expected.
Jean Duboc, hypermarket head since 2007, is expected to stay on as an advisor to Casino chairman Jean-Charles Naouri.
Several analysts said that the move would not be a short-term fix, however, with the retail environment in France likely to remain challenging in 2010.
'There is not likely to be any immediate impact,' Justin Scarborough of the Royal Bank of Scotland told Reuters.
