This is a formal denial… but the doubt remains. The Casino group “categorically denies” the effective injection by Daniel Kretinsky of 500 million euros into the accounts of the distributor controlled by the Czech billionaire, according to a statement published on Wednesday, on the eve of its third quarter financial results.
Although this statement directly quotes the article by mass distribution specialist Olivier Dauvers on his own site, it does not, however, refute the La Lettre article, published on Tuesday and according to which the billionaire is “preparing” to reinject this sum.
On Wednesday, Olivier Dauvers wrote that the operation had just been carried out. After the publication of the statement, it finally changed its wording to adopt that of La Lettre (“it is preparing” to reinject 500 million euros) to emphasize that the operation had not been carried out to date.
Contacted by AFP, the Casino group did not want to provide more information, in reference to the publication on Thursday of the Casino’s third quarter financial results.
This injection of funds would aim to convince creditors to cancel 500 million euros of debt, La Lettre explained on Tuesday.
Casino’s debt has once again been at the center of much speculation in recent months, and several media outlets have announced that the distributor intends to restructure its debt for the second time in less than three years.
The distributor (Monoprix, Franprix, CDiscount), which came under the control of Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky in 2024 after years of losses and over-indebtedness, will have to repay €1.4 billion in March 2027.
Casino’s debt had already been reduced by almost €5 billion at the time of the group’s restructuring. But it increased again, by about 200 million euros between the end of 2024 and the first half of 2025.
Source: BFM TV
