Carrefour has closed all of its branches in Kuwait and Bahrain this week, marking another retreat from Gulf markets amid mounting boycott campaigns linked to the supermarket chain's ties with Israel.
In Bahrain, Carrefour suspended operations on 14 September, shuttering its seven stores across the kingdom. Two days later, on 16 September, the company announced the complete closure of its operations in Kuwait.
Statements issued by Majid Al Futtaim, the Dubai-based conglomerate that holds Carrefour’s franchise rights in the Middle East, thanked customers for their loyalty but did not provide detailed reasons for their exit from the Bahraini market.
Arabic media and regional activists, however, framed the closures as a direct result of pressure from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and wider consumer campaigns against companies perceived as complicit in Israel’s war on Gaza.
Carrefour has been a prominent BDS target since signing a 2022 franchise deal with Israeli companies Electra Consumer Products and its subsidiary Yenot Bitan, which activists say operate in illegal West Bank settlements.
The closures in Kuwait and Bahrain follow a broader pattern of retreat across the Middle East. In November 2024, Carrefour shut all of its stores in Jordan, later reopening under the local brand HyperMax.
Earlier this month, the chain also announced the end of its operations in Oman, and in Tunisia, pro-Palestine activists forced the temporary closure of Carrefour’s largest store in La Marsa.
In each case, Carrefour or its local operators have avoided citing political reasons, instead issuing brief customer appreciation statements. But activists and boycott organisers have hailed the moves as victories, arguing they demonstrate the effectiveness of consumer pressure in Arab markets.
The boycotts have gathered strength since the escalation of Israel’s war on Gaza in 2023, with polling in countries such as Jordan showing overwhelming public support for avoiding products linked to Israel or its allies.
BDS campaigners have also highlighted allegations that Carrefour provided gifts to Israeli soldiers during the Gaza war, a charge the company has denied.
Carrefour’s exits underscore the reputational and commercial risks facing multinational brands in the region as long as the war continues.
For now, the supermarket giant appears to be retreating in markets where boycotts have reached critical mass, while maintaining operations elsewhere in the Gulf.
The New Arab reached out to both the BDS movement and Carrefour for comment but received no reply at the time of publication.