GB Group
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedGB, also known as Grand Bazar, was a Belgian supermarket chain whose stores were progressively converted to Carrefour formats after Carrefour acquired the GIB Group in 2000.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
GB, historically associated with the name Grand Bazar, was a Belgian supermarket chain operated within the GIB Group before becoming part of Carrefour. Its retail history reflects the development of large-format grocery retail in Belgium and the later consolidation of the country’s supermarket sector. The first Super GB store opened in 1958. The business expanded its format range in 1961 when it launched hypermarkets under the Superbazar name in Auderghem, Anderlecht and Bruges. These stores were among the earliest hypermarkets outside the United States and helped establish a large-scale self-service model in Belgium. The hypermarket estate was subsequently reorganized under the Maxi GB name in 1985. GB’s portfolio therefore included both conventional supermarkets and very large stores offering a broader range of food and general merchandise. The chain continued to segment its network during the 1990s. In 1997 it opened its first GB Express convenience store in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe. The same period also saw the creation of the Super GB Partner and Contact GB formats, allowing the group to serve different neighborhood and store-size requirements. The wider brand family included Super GB, Super GB Partner, Contact GB, GB Express, Maxi GB and the Bigg’s Continent hypermarket format. A decisive change occurred in July 2000, when Carrefour Group acquired the GIB Group. Carrefour modernized and rebranded the former Maxi GB hypermarkets as Carrefour stores, with the conversion beginning around 2000–2001. Other GB supermarkets initially retained the GB identity while undergoing renovation and integration into Carrefour’s Belgian operating structure. In 2007, Super GB, Super GB Partner and Contact GB stores were renamed Carrefour GB, while GB Express stores became Carrefour Express. From 2009 onward, the remaining Carrefour GB supermarkets were progressively converted to the Carrefour Market format. By 2013–2014, the GB name had effectively disappeared from the Belgian store network, completing the transition of the former chain into Carrefour’s standardized brand architecture. Some stores were closed during Carrefour’s 2010 reorganization, while a number of locations in Brussels and Wallonia were transferred to an independent franchise operation associated with Groupe Mestdagh and rebranded as Carrefour Market-Groupe Mestdagh. GB is therefore best understood as a historical Belgian retail brand rather than an active independent company. Its significance lies in its role in introducing and expanding hypermarket retail in Belgium, developing multiple supermarket and convenience formats, and providing a substantial store network that Carrefour later absorbed and reformatted.
History
GB was a Belgian supermarket chain also known as Grand Bazar. Its modern supermarket history began in 1958 with the opening of the first Super GB store. The chain expanded rapidly into large-format retail in 1961, when it opened Superbazar hypermarkets in Auderghem, Anderlecht and Bruges. These outlets were among the first hypermarkets established outside the United States, making the business an early participant in the development of European hypermarket retail. The Superbazar outlets were later reorganized under the Maxi GB name in 1985. Alongside the hypermarkets, GB developed a network of conventional supermarkets and smaller neighborhood stores. In 1997 it opened its first GB Express convenience store in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe. That year also brought the creation of the Super GB Partner and Contact GB formats. The resulting brand family covered several levels of retail scale, from hypermarkets carrying food and general merchandise to smaller convenience outlets. GB operated within the GIB Group until Carrefour Group acquired GIB in July 2000. The acquisition changed the chain’s long-term identity. Carrefour converted Maxi GB hypermarkets to Carrefour stores, with the rebranding taking place around 2000 and 2001. Other GB supermarkets were initially maintained under the GB name while Carrefour renovated and integrated them into its Belgian network. In 2007, Carrefour replaced several of the remaining GB identities. Super GB, Super GB Partner and Contact GB became Carrefour GB, while GB Express locations were renamed Carrefour Express. From 2009, Carrefour began converting Carrefour GB supermarkets to the Carrefour Market format. The process was substantially complete by 2013–2014, by which time the GB identity had largely disappeared from Belgian retail. The integration also involved network restructuring. In 2010, Carrefour closed some supermarkets as part of a reorganization and transferred certain locations in Brussels and Wallonia to an independent franchise operation linked with Groupe Mestdagh. Those stores were associated with the Carrefour Market-Groupe Mestdagh format. By the end of this process, GB no longer operated as an independent consumer-facing supermarket chain. Its stores and formats had been absorbed into Carrefour’s Belgian architecture.
- 2013
GB identity is nearly eliminated from the network
[1]By 2013, hundreds of former GB stores had already become Carrefour Market locations, with the remaining conversions continuing into 2014.
- 2009
Conversion to Carrefour Market begins
[1]Remaining Carrefour GB stores begin conversion to the Carrefour Market format.
- 2007
Supermarket and convenience formats are renamed
[1]Super GB, Super GB Partner and Contact GB become Carrefour GB, while GB Express becomes Carrefour Express.
- 2001
Maxi GB and Bigg's Continent become Carrefour
[1]The principal former GB hypermarket formats are converted to Carrefour stores.
- 2000
Carrefour acquires GIB Group
[1]Carrefour takes over GIB Group, the owner of GB, initiating the chain's integration into Carrefour's Belgian network.
- 1997
GB Express and additional store formats are introduced
[1]The first GB Express convenience store opens in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, while Super GB Partner and Contact GB are established as additional formats.
- 1985
Superbazar estate is reorganized as Maxi GB
[1]The Superbazar hypermarkets are reorganized under the Maxi GB banner.
- 1961
Superbazar hypermarkets launch
[1]GB opens hypermarkets in Auderghem, Anderlecht and Bruges under the Superbazar name. They are among the earliest hypermarkets outside the United States.
- 1958
First Super GB store opens
[1]The first Super GB supermarket is opened in Belgium, establishing the chain's principal supermarket format.
Products and positioning
A broad Belgian grocery retail network spanning supermarkets, hypermarkets and convenience stores, with an emphasis on accessible everyday shopping and large-format retail.
Supermarket · 1958
Super GB
Super GB was GB's principal supermarket format, focused on everyday grocery shopping and a broad assortment of food and household necessities. It was the chain's core conventional supermarket banner before being renamed Carrefour GB in 2007 and later converted, in many cases, to Carrefour Market.
Hypermarket · 1961
Superbazar
Superbazar was the name used for GB's early hypermarkets. The stores opened in 1961 in Auderghem, Anderlecht and Bruges and represented an early European application of the hypermarket model, combining extensive grocery retail with a wider general-merchandise offer.
Hypermarket · 1985
Maxi GB
Maxi GB was the successor format to the Superbazar hypermarkets after the 1985 reorganization. Its large stores offered food and general merchandise at a scale greater than the standard Super GB supermarkets. Following Carrefour's acquisition of GIB, the Maxi GB estate was converted to Carrefour stores.
Convenience store · 1997
GB Express
GB Express was GB's convenience-store format, created to serve smaller, local shopping missions. Its first store opened in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe in 1997. The format was rebranded Carrefour Express in 2007.
Supermarket · 1997
Super GB Partner
Super GB Partner was a supermarket format introduced as part of GB's multi-format strategy in the late 1990s. It provided a differentiated store identity within the wider GB network before being replaced by Carrefour GB in 2007.
Neighborhood supermarket · 1997
Contact GB
Contact GB served as a smaller supermarket format within the GB portfolio. The format broadened the chain's neighborhood presence and was later consolidated into Carrefour GB stores during Carrefour's post-acquisition rebranding.
Hypermarket
Bigg's Continent
Bigg's Continent was another hypermarket identity within the retail estate later controlled by Carrefour after the GIB acquisition. Its stores were converted to Carrefour locations during the early 2000s integration.
Brand decisions
2010
Carrefour restructures selected Belgian storesStrategyBackground
Carrefour undertook a reorganization of parts of its Belgian supermarket network.
Action taken
Some stores were closed, while selected locations in Brussels and Wallonia were sold or transferred to an independent franchise operation associated with Groupe Mestdagh.
Aftermath
The affected locations became associated with the Carrefour Market-Groupe Mestdagh format, further separating them from the historic GB identity.
2009
Remaining Carrefour GB stores are converted to Carrefour MarketStrategyBackground
Carrefour sought to align its Belgian supermarket network with its broader international store-format architecture.
Action taken
The remaining Carrefour GB supermarkets began a phased transition to the Carrefour Market banner.
Aftermath
The GB identity was effectively removed from the Belgian network by 2013–2014, apart from the historical record.
2007
GB formats are consolidated under Carrefour bannersStrategyBackground
Carrefour continued standardizing the former GIB store portfolio several years after the acquisition.
Action taken
Super GB, Super GB Partner and Contact GB were changed to Carrefour GB, while GB Express locations became Carrefour Express.
Aftermath
The GB name remained only temporarily on some supermarkets before the subsequent conversion to Carrefour Market.
2000
Carrefour acquires GIB GroupM&ABackground
GB was part of the GIB Group when Carrefour acquired that group in July 2000.
Action taken
Carrefour took control of the GB network and began integrating its stores into Carrefour's Belgian operating and brand structure.
Aftermath
The acquisition led to the conversion of Maxi GB and other hypermarkets to Carrefour, followed by the later rebranding of supermarket and convenience formats.
Sources1 sources
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