Business Forum • 16 March, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Romania's Competition Council is analyzing the transaction through which Pavăl Holding, controlled by the Pavăl brothers, intends to acquire the Carrefour group in Romania.
The Carrefour group operates retail stores in Romania, including hypermarkets (Carrefour), supermarkets (Carrefour Market), convenience stores (Carrefour Express) and discount stores (Supeco).
Pavăl Holding group is present in Romania through several companies, the most well-known being the Dedeman store network. The group is also involved in retail pharmaceutical and para-pharmaceutical products, consumer goods, food and non-food products, especially those for children and mothers/families, construction product manufacturing, vehicle maintenance and repair, as well as real estate development, rental and subleasing activities.
The competition authority's analysis covers two markets: the procurement market for predominantly food consumer goods at national level, where retailers act as buyers in relation to producers or distributors, and the retail market for predominantly food consumer goods, where retailers act as suppliers to final consumers. Geographically, the analysis considers a zone of up to 10 minutes by car around hypermarkets/supermarkets and up to 10 minutes on foot and by car around convenience stores.
Under Competition Law no. 21/1996, this transaction must be authorized by the Competition Council, which will evaluate the operation to determine its compatibility with a normal competitive environment. Comments and viewpoints can be submitted to the competition authority within 20 days of this announcement.