After decades of growth across the Middle East, French retail giant Carrefour’s expansion has hit headwinds in the last year — with longtime regional partner Majid Al Futtaim pivoting toward a new homegrown grocery store brand amid rising competition and consumer boycotts targeting Western companies.

On Sept. 17, the Dubai-based conglomerate rebranded Carrefour outlets in Kuwait as HyperMax, just days after doing the same in Bahrain. Both moves are part of a broader retreat that began in November 2024, when Majid Al Futtaim began relaunching Carrefour as HyperMax in Jordan, followed by Oman.

These moves have sparked speculation that Carrefour could soon exit other regional markets, including the United Arab Emirates, although Majid Al Futtaim has refuted this speculation, according to local media reports. Currently, the firm holds the exclusive rights to operate nearly 400 Carrefour stores across 12 markets in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and it recently extended its franchise agreement with the Carrefour Group until 2031.

HyperMax stores, which are independently owned by Majid Al Futtaim, are being pitched as a locally attuned alternative that works more closely with domestic farmers and suppliers — language that appears crafted specifically to distance HyperMax from Carrefour’s Western roots.