Casino, the ailing French supermarket chain, has sold its Polish
operations to Tesco and Metro Group as it strives to repay debts in
excess of €2bn euros.
Two European food retail groups issued their first quarter results
last month, figures which reflected the ongoing tough conditions in
many countries across Europe and the rest of the world.
Assessing consumer tastes and demands is all part and parcel of the
modern food retail business, but keeping track of their hopes and
fears can also help supermarkets ensure that they have the right
products on their shelves at the...
A tighter focus on discount outlets continues to pay dividends for
French retail group Casino, whose 2003 figures also benefited from
an upturn in its international operations, writes Chris
Jones.
Like its larger compatriot Carrefour, French supermarket group
Casino
ended 2003 with sales slightly ahead of the previous year but
continued to suffer at the hands of adverse currency exchange
rates.
Casino, the French retail group, is hoping to benefit from an
improvement in exchange rates in the second half after a first half
of steady growth driven by its domestic discount store operations.
Underlying growth in both Casino's French and foreign operations
was not enough to offset the ongoing negative impact of exchange
rates in the first half, the retailer announced yesterday.