Groene Vallei is one of seven GB supermarkets and 14 Carrefour hypermarkets slated for closure in restructuring plans announced by Carrefour last month. All of the supermarkets and nine of the hypermarkets are in Flanders. Groene Vallei has always done a brisk business thanks to the number of people who live in nearby tower blocks and the lack of any competition in the immediate area.

But they say that Carrefour’s mismanagement and the high price the French company pays for the site means it has never been profitable. The store employs 53 people, one of whom has worked for the company for 39 years.

That employee and her colleagues will be out of work at the end of June unless a scheme hatched up by a local man, Gregory Cremmerye, saves the day. Local people feel attached to their supermarket: on the day of the announcement, both residents and staff shed tears on a hastily-assembled protest line. A petition calling for the store to remain open received 2,600 signatures.

Now Cremmerye and his supporters have written to Carrefour Belgium CEO Gérard Lavinay offering to take Groene Vallei off his hands and run it as a co-operative, similar to the historic Co-op supermarket chain in Britain.

“Of course our plans are still at an early stage, but we’re serious about this,” said Cremmerye. “We’re willing to take responsibility and work with Carrefour to find a solution. This GB is very important for our neighbourhood. If Carrefour gives up and the price is attainable, we’re ready to start looking for financing.”