Privately-owned Leclerc is France's largest food retailer by market share. Carrefour said in May that it would end its contracts as official sponsor of the French Football Federation and of the Tour de France, the world’s most famous cycling race.

Carrefour, Europe's largest retailer, in January announced cost savings of 2 billion euros (£1.8 billion) by 2020.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; editing by Richard Lough)