GIB Group (''G''rand Bazar ''I''nnovation ''B''on Marché) was a Belgian conglomerate, consisting of various retail and restaurant chains that existed until 2002. GIB Group owned GB (Grand Bazar) super/hypermarkets,

Brico Brico is a Belgian hardware store chain. The chain focuses mainly on DIY items but also sells garden-related articles. The chain has 140 locations (as of February 2016) spread over Belgium, about 95 of which are franchised. History The firs ...

(home improvement/DIY), Inno (department store),

Quick Quick, as an adjective, refers to something moving with high speed. Quick may also refer to: In business * Quick (restaurant), a Belgian fast-food restaurant chain * Quick (sportswear), a Dutch manufacturer of sportswear * Quick (automobile), a ...

restaurants (Belgium, France, Netherlands, Luxembourg), Lunch Garden self-service restaurants, Auto 5 car wash/service chain, Nopri, GIB Immo, Christiaensen and

Unic Unic was a French manufacturer founded in 1905, and active as an automobile producer until July 1938. After this the company continued to produce commercial vehicles, retaining its independence for a further fourteen years before being purcha ...

History

In 1860, the GIB Group is created by opening the first ''Au Bon Marché'' store in Brussels by François Vaxelaire. In 1933, ''Nopri'' department stores were created. In 1958, the first ''Super GB'' supermarket is opened. In 1960, Baron François Vaxelaire (grandson of namesake) takes over the family business from his father, Raymond Vaxelaire. In 1961, the first GB hypermarkets are created under the name of ''Superbazar'' in

Auderghem Auderghem ( French, ; former Dutch spelling) or Oudergem ( Dutch, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-eastern part of the region, along the Woluwe valley and at the entrance to the ...

Anderlecht Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...

and

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

. The Superbazar stores all became ''Maxi GB'' in 1985. In 1969–74, Baron François Vaxelaire engineers a fusion of GB, Innovation and BM as GIB (GB-Inno-BM). Inno was a previously independent Belgian department store chain that was taken over (it is currently owned by

Galeria Kaufhof Galeria Kaufhof GmbH was a German department store chain, headquartered in Cologne. It was a member of the International Association of Department Stores from 1930 to 2010, with various CEOs acting as presidents of the Association over time. Un ...

). In 1979, GIB and British supermarket chain

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is a British supermarket and the second-largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company was the largest UK r ...

founded a garden retailer that would later become

Homebase Homebase was a British Home improvement center, home improvement and garden centre retailer that operated across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was founded by British supermarket chain Sainsbury's and Belgian retailer GIB Group, GB-Inno ...

. In 1997, the first ''GB Express'' is opened in

Berchem-Sainte-Agathe Berchem-Sainte-Agathe ( French, ) or Sint-Agatha-Berchem ( Dutch, ), often simply called Berchem, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by Gansh ...

, in the same year, ''Super GB Partner'' and ''Contact GB'' are created. In July 2000, Carrefour Group S.A. takes over the ''GIB Group'', modernizes and rebrands all ''Maxi GB'' hypermarkets to ''Carrefour'', the other stores staying under the GB brand, all those stores will also be renovated. In 2002 Carrefour retires the ''GIB Group'' name of the holding subsidiary and sells the Brico chain to Vendex. In 2007, ''Super GB'', ''Super GB Partner'' and ''Contact GB'' supermarkets all become ''Carrefour GB'', while ''GB Express'' convenience stores are renamed ''

Carrefour Express Carrefour Express is a convenience store chain owned and operated by French retailer Carrefour with locations in three continents. Carrefour Express was created in 2007 to consolidate all convenience stores owned by Carrefour worldwide under one ...

''. Two years later, ''Carrefour GB'' stores in Belgium are rebranded as ''Carrefour Market'', all GB stores will eventually be a Market store in Belgium in 2013/2014. In Wallonia and Brussels, the

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world champi ...

supermarket chain has also been rebranded, as ''Carrefour Market-Groupe Mestdagh''. As of May 2013, there were still 58 ''GB'' branded supermarkets left, as well as 28 ''Champion'' stores. The rest (around 431 GB stores) have completed the transition to "Carrefour" brand.

References

{{Authority control Defunct retail companies of Belgium 1860 establishments in Belgium Retail companies disestablished in 2002 2002 disestablishments in Belgium