Carrefour Belgium has reported a strong performance from the first Sunday opening of its integrated Hypermarkets and Market stores, held on 18 January 2026. The retailer said customer traffic and sales exceeded expectations, confirming growing demand for seven-day shopping access across physical and online channels.
The Sunday opening marked the first time Carrefour Belgium rolled out extended trading hours at scale across its integrated store network. According to the company, shoppers responded quickly, with steady footfall throughout the day and strong uptake of promotional offers.
Food sales performed well, but non-food categories also recorded higher-than-normal Sunday demand. Carrefour highlighted that customers used the extended opening to combine grocery shopping with purchases from its wider hypermarket assortment, including household and general merchandise products.
Promotional activity played a central role in driving traffic. Weekend and Sunday-specific offers attracted high engagement. During the opening day, Carrefour stores sold around 165,000 pastries and more than 2,200 rotisserie chickens within a few hours, showing strong demand for fresh and ready-to-eat products.
From an operational perspective, the retailer said the rollout ran smoothly. Store teams supported the extended opening hours without disruption, allowing Carrefour to maintain service levels and stock availability across participating locations.
The company sees the result as confirmation that Belgian shoppers are increasingly expecting flexible store access. Carrefour has positioned the seven-day opening strategy as part of a wider omnichannel approach, combining physical stores with digital grocery services and online ordering options.
Why It Matters
Sunday opening remains a competitive issue in the Belgian supermarket market. Retailers are under pressure to balance labour rules, operating costs and customer convenience. Carrefour’s early results may influence how competitors approach extended trading hours, especially in hypermarket formats where weekend traffic plays a major role in weekly sales volumes.
If sustained, the move could strengthen Carrefour’s weekend market share and improve basket size by capturing both grocery and non-food spend on Sundays.
About Carrefour Belgium
Carrefour Belgium is a major player in the Belgium supermarketmarket and part of the wider Carrefour Group, which operates retail businesses across multiple countries worldwide. The company runs a nationwide portfolio of formats including Hypermarkets, Carrefour Market supermarkets, Carrefour Express convenience stores, and online grocery services.
The business serves millions of Belgian shoppers each week and plays a central role in both food and non-food retail, with hypermarkets offering a broad assortment that combines groceries, fresh products, household goods, and general merchandise.
Carrefour Belgium continues to invest in store modernisation, digital services, private label development, and omnichannel retail, while also expanding flexible shopping options such as extended opening hours and e-commerce fulfilment.
Editor’s Note: This article is based on Carrefour Belgium’s official communication released on 19 January 2026 regarding the first Sunday opening of its integrated Hypermarket and Market stores.
