Carrefour to close both outlets by end of the month

Both branches of French hypermarket Carrefour in Singapore are set to close by the end of the month in order to restore the premises to its original state.

Leases for the outlets at Suntec City and Plaza Singapura are scheduled to expire in December and November respectively.

Three weeks ago, Carrefour Singapore announced that it was pulling out of the local market before the end of the outlets' lease.

In its statement, Carrefour had said: "Carrefour Singapore announces the decision to close its Suntec and Plaza Singapura stores before end of 2012, since expansion and growth perspectives do not allow reaching a leadership position in the medium and long term."

It had opened its first store in Singapore in 1997.

According to a Straits Times report, the non-food level of both outlets are already closed. Most of the food shelves have also been cleared out, following a sale last weekend.

Plastic sheets were seen covering the empty shelves, and suppliers of fresh meat and produce have stopped delivery, said the English daily.

The remaining dried goods were packed and moved closer to the cashiers to allow the premises to be cordoned off in stages.

In an earlier interview with AFP when the pullout was announced, a senior executive with an Asian electronics company that supplies appliances to Carrefour, who declined to be named, said: "There was a lot of talk (of closing) from the internal staff and they have been clearing stock for the last two months."