"Auchan denies any contact between our own controlling shareholder, the Mulliez family, and the Moulin family. The families have not been talking since October about the Carrefour dossier," the spokesperson told Reuters.

BFM Television reported on Monday that two months after Carrefour ended talks over a possible tie-up with Auchan, the Mulliez and Moulin families were still in contact over a potential deal.

A source close to Carrefour also denied any fresh contacts with Auchan. "There are no longer any discussions between the two groups," the source told Reuters.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, editing by Silvia Aloisi)