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WARSAW-French retailer Casino Guichard-Perrachon is selling mostof its Polish retail and property assets to Metro, Tesco and GEReal Estate for a combined euro 884 million ($1.1 billion).Separate statements by German based Metro and UK-based Tesco, twoof Europe's largest retailers, said they were strengthening theirpresence in Poland by buying out a French rival. Metro officialssay they were buying the Geant brand activities of Casino for euro224 million ($283 million). The deal covers Casino's 19 Geantstores in Poland as well as seven more under construction or inplanning. The firm is taking over the operations, but not the realestate. The purchase will lift the number of stores under Metro'sReal brand in Poland to 49 and strengthen its hypermarket business,officials say. The properties themselves are being sold to theGeneral Electric unit for euro 555 million ($695.7 million).

Tesco has revealed separately the euro 72-million ($57-million)takeover of Casino's Leader Price stores in Poland. The deal "willhelp Tesco grow its business in the highly fragmented andcompetitive Polish market," firm officials said in a statement.