Of the nine chains that reported 2019 earnings (excluding Lidl, whose earnings report is pending), five reported a lower number of employees compared with 2018.
Auchan, Mega Image, Carrefour, Metro Cash&Carry and Cora had fewer employees at the end of 2019. Auchan cut staff numbers by nearly 1,500, Mega Image had 915 fewer employees, Carrefour had 50 fewer employees, Metro had 271 fewer employees and Cora had 291 fewer employees.
On the other hand, Profi and Penny Market continued raising staff numbers, with 3,700 and 550 employees added in 2019, respectively. Profi opened around 250 new stores in 2019, while Penny Market opened 20 new stores.