Multinational French retail giant Carrefour has announced it is entering the Ethiopian market, in a move that potentially signifies Addis Ababa's increased willingness to liberalise an economically strategic sector.
Carrefour announced this week that it is launching in Ethiopia by partnering with Queens Supermarket, an Ethiopian company that is a subsidiary of the Midroc Investment Group, owned by Ethiopian-born Saudi billionaire Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi. The firms will collaborate to roll out the Carrefour franchise across Queens' existing stories in Ethiopia, with the first stores expected by rebranded by the end of June this year. Patrick Lasfargues, CEO of Carrefour International Partnership, said in a press release that "we are delighted to initiate this collaboration with a leading retail player in Ethiopia. Beyond the rapid transformation of the 13 existing stores, the Midroc and Carrefour International Partnership teams are already working hand-in-hand on the future growth of our activities in the country: by 2028, we project the opening of 17 additional stores." "This launch in Ethiopia is another milestone in the execution of our international franchise expansion strategy, which already saw us pass the 3,000 franchised store mark in October 2025."
Retail deregulation proceedsThe move is significant as the retail sector in Ethiopia, like the rest of the national economy, was previously subject to heavy regulation, with foreign companies and individuals banned from operating in the Ethiopian market. This has been changing under the premiership of Abiy Ahmed, who, since coming to power in 2018, has opened up strategic sectors such as banking , telecommunications , and now retail to foreign competition.
