PX Mart Co Ltd (全聯實業) chairman Lin Ming-hsiung (林敏雄) on Wednesday said that both RT-Mart International Ltd (大潤發) and Carrefour Taiwan (家樂福) had approached him with sales offers.
Lin told local media on the sidelines of a public event that both companies had asked about the supermarket chain operator’s interest in buying them out. He declined to comment further as the topic is sensitive, local media reported.
Lin made the remarks at the inauguration of the Gallery of Taiwan Traditional Art (巧藝館) at the National Center for Traditional Arts’ (國立傳統藝術中心) Yilan campus. The gallery is sponsored by Pxmart’s Sunmake Cultural Foundation (全聯善美的文化藝術基金會).
Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times
Carrefour Taiwan in February acquired Wellcome Taiwan Co’s (惠康百貨) chain of supermarkets and the upscale Jasons Market Place stores. The deal left Carrefour with 66 big-box hypermarkets, 262 supermarkets and 25 Jasons Market Place stores.
Lin said the fact that Carrefour and RT-Mart are looking to sell their Taiwan operations highlights the challenges the grocery sector is facing, adding that if only the biggest player can survive in the market, it is not a good market, the local media reported.
PX Mart, which operates as Pxmart, has 1,055 stores in Taiwan. The company plans to expand to 1,068 stores by the end of the year, and forecasts revenue of NT$150 billion this year, Lin said.
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