History

The first Carrefour store opened on 3 June 1957, in suburban Annecy near a crossroads (carrefour in French). The group was created by Marcel Fournier Denis Defforey and Jacques Defforey and grew into a chain from this first sales outlet

In 1999 it merged with Promodès, known as Continent, one of its major competitors in the French market.

The first hypermarket was opened on 15 June 1963 in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, near Paris in France

In April 1976, Carrefour launched a private label Produits libres (free products -- libre meaning free in the sense of liberty as opposed to gratis) line of fifty foodstuffs, including oil, biscuits, milk, and pasta, sold in unbranded white packages at substantially lower prices

-In 1989, Carrefour became the first international retailer to establish a presence in Asia when it entered Taiwan through a joint venture with Uni President Enterprises Corporation

-In 2007, expansion accelerated outside France, particularly in Asia, with the building of 36 new hypermarkets, including 22 in China - where the Group

broke its record for store openings in a one-year period.

Carrefour Group:

-It is the world leader in distribution. The Carrefour group currently has over 15,500 stores, either company-operated or franchises.

-An international retailer With a presence in 35 countries, over 56% of group turnover derives from outside France. -Promots the growth of local economies.

-The Carrefour Group’s neighborhood stores, in the heart of French cities

Hypermarkets: the appeal of the new (Choice and quality for everyone)

Supermarkets under the Carrefour banner (The prices people want, close to home )

Hard Discount: low prices year-round (Grocery products at low, low prices )

Convenience stores: always attuned to customer needs (Just what you need, right next door )

Cash & carry: proximity and accessibility for catering professionals

E-commerce (Ooshop: the online grocery store in France, CarrefourOnline.com: everything you need in non-food, online in France)

Carrefour Values:

We share a dream: to make Carrefour a business that is recognised and loved for helping its customers and consumers enjoy a better quality of life, each and every day.To achieve this dream, as we go about our business, we ensure that every day we are:committed, caring and positive.These three values bring us closer to our customers and consumers and reflect our personality. We look for and find the best possible solutions for them every day.

Committed

Caring

Positive

Strategy:

-The Carrefour group has one simple ambition:making Carrefour the preferred retailer wherever it operates.

-The strategy of the Carrefour group is aimed at achieving organic, sustained, profitable growth in excess of the broad market growth rate, and has three levers:

1.Client-oriented culture 2.Transformation

3.Innovation

1.Client-oriented culture: getting to know our customers better in order to serve them better

2.Transformation: increasing agility, execution quality and competitiveness

3. Innovation: regaining initiative and leadership

Approach

The Carrefour Group has formalized its progressive approach based on three key commitments: quality and safety, respect for the environment and economic and social

responsibility.

Organisation and Policy:

The Sustainability policy is managed by a dedicated department at the group level, which draws up a dedicated

functional network and mobilizes the countries and banners

PRODUCT SAFETY AND QUALITY:

Guaranteeing product safety and quality: this principle is written in the Group's basics

OUR NUTRITION POLICY

The Carrefour group has implemented a large number of actions to inform and raise its customers awareness

regarding balanced diet.

Commitment to the Environment:

Swot Analysis

Strengths

Industry Leader Well established vendor relations Cost leadership

Weaknesses

Low profit margins High work force requirements

Opportunities

-Early mover advantage-Global outreach and brand recognition- Recessions leading to high scale of low cost products

Threats

-Sources of cost reduction may not be unique and other competitors can copy cost reduction strategies.

References

www.carrefour.comwww.planetretail.comwww.google.com