Fitch Downgrades Casino Group Over Interest Payment Failure; Upgrades Amid Restructuring Talks

MT Newswires · 2d ago
01:39 AM EDT, 10/09/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Fitch Ratings on Thursday downgraded Casino Guichard-Perrachon's (CO.PA) long-term issuer default rating to RD, or restricted default, from CCC- after it missed a loan interest payment, before upgrading it to CC, citing ongoing debt restructuring efforts. The French retailer, which failed to pay interest on its 1.41 billion-euro term loan B, is in talks with shareholders and lenders to overhaul its debt. Fitch also removed all of the company's ratings from Rating Watch Negative. The rating agency said it will view the potential restructuring as a distressed debt exchange, which would trigger another downgrade to RD, with subsequent re-rating of the reinstated capital structure. Fitch believes the company's current capital structure will be unable to support the business turnaround plan with the term loan maturing in March 2027.