Makro stores are over. This Friday at 3 p.m., the six brands of the brand will close their doors for the last time. A tragedy for the 1,300 people who work there who will lose their jobs in the process.
“I don’t really realize it yet, but it’s slowly starting to come”, deplores Fabrice, restocker for 20 years at Makro d’Alleur. “There are people we will never see once more. It’s like a family so it hurts”.
This family spirit held until the end of the adventure, as Fabrice was able to see. “I have a colleague who told me that she was happy to have worked with me. There were a lot of emotions and frankly, it touches me”.
“There, we understand that… Even if we don’t realize, we understand that it’s the end. It hurts the heart”he concludes with a lump in his throat.
The majority of workers in the chain are over 45 and have accumulated many years of seniority, but may not receive any severance pay.
Indeed, following the legal reorganization of the group in June, all of Makro’s real estate assets passed to Metro. The Makro company therefore no longer has any land or property that might be seized during bankruptcy to pay severance pay.
Stores are closing, but employees are still waiting for the company to file for bankruptcy or liquidation or they will not receive their C4s. If the company is in liquidation, the notices will be paid. If it is bankrupt, it will be necessary to make do with what is left to pay part of the notices.
The nine Metro stores out of 11 had been bought by the Dutch group Sligro, which saved 500 jobs.
