The Slovakian Antimonopoly Office has put the breaks on a deal
between Carrefour and Tesco, saying that it would give the British
supermarket a monopoly over the market.
Innovative labelling from Pricer ESL and Toshiba will now be taken
up in 25 more Franprix supermarkets in a contract worth SEK 6m
(€6m), increasing efficiency in stores.
Europe's largest retailer Carrefour has signed a €6m deal to open
its first supermarket chain in Cyprus, following the firm's
successful entry into the island's cash and carry market last year.
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.
French retail giant Carrefour yesterday announced an 8.5 per cent
rise in second quarter like-for-like sales, as the firm strengthens
its domestic position through in-store makeovers and competitive
pricing.
Speculation is mounting that France's number two supermarket Casino
is planning to sell its Polish operations - with Tesco and
Carrefour vying to snap up the unwanted stores.
French retailer Carrefour has been found guilty of allowing
hypermarket staff to be paid directly by suppliers, depriving the
employees of payroll benefits and collective bargaining agreements.
British grocery giant Tesco has announced expansion plans for
Turkey to double retail space and push out from the core city base
of Ismer, as international competition mounts.
The European Commission has cleared Carrefour's outright purchase
of rival French chain Hyparlo, following an investigation into the
supermarket's anti-competitive behaviour.
French supermarket Casino has announced a 17 per cent rise in
first-quarter sales, as domestic performance improves and
international sales smash records.
The world's second largest supermarket has announced disappointing
year-end results amid restructuring and an ambitious growth
strategy - causing the firm's retail ratings to tumble.
As the two retailing giants prepare to battle it out in America,
Tesco and Wal-Mart have both announced plans to expand operations
further in the Czech Republic and Hungary respectively.
Speculation is mounting that Rewe, Europe's fourth largest
retailer, will pull its supermarkets out of Poland following an
influx of foreign retailers.
The world's leading retailer may be set to move into Germany's
discount market in a bid to salvage its position in the country and
strengthen its presence in Europe.
Global retail giant Carrefour has issued €750 million worth of
bonds to refinance debts, suggesting that the company is still
struggling under European market pressure.
Supermarkets are seeking to exploit the underdeveloped fuel
retailing sector in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), claims a new
report by market analyst Datamonitor.
International food retailers pile on competitive pressure as they
show interest in an Italian supermarket chain - forcing smaller
local franchises to consolidate their efforts to survive.
Suppliers to Carrefour will continue to be limited on what they can
charge for their products as the world's second largest retailer
fights to boost flagging sales across most of Europe.
Danish brewer Bryggerigruppen has signed a deal to give it two new
breweries with strong local brands, while Russian food scientists
have designed a bread recipe that can be stored for three years and
Dutch retailer Ahold has sold...
China's fast-growing retail sector could offer a golden opportunity
for western companies - but only those that understand the
challenges faced in catering to the Chinese consumer.
Supermarkets remain the most favoured type of the store in the CEE
region, despite the large number of western players entering the
region with hypermarket or discount formats. But the popularity of
supermarkets is built mainly on...
Hot on the heels of last year's entry into the Chinese market,
Britain's leading food retailer Tesco has strengthened its business
in South Korea with the acquisition of a number of stores from the
Aram Mart group. The move...
Auchan is rumoured to be a prospective tenant at a huge 118,000
square-metre mall to be built near Moscow's third transport ring,
writes Angela Drujinina.
Better-than-expected sales at Carrefour's domestic hypermarket
business have left France's leading food retailer optimistic of an
upturn in 2005 - although further price cuts are likely to make an
impact in the short term,...
Growth in the food retail sector across Europe is being driven not
by sales of food but rather by the ever-widening range of non-food
goods, claims a new report. But while Carrefour and its French
compatriots continue to dominate...
Carrefour, the giant French retail group, has extended its presence
in the Polish market with an agreement to buy 13 stores formerly
operated by Dutch rival Ahold, writes Chris Jones.
Wal-Mart is the world's largest retail group, more than twice the
size of its nearest rival Carrefour, but until recently it was
virtually unknown outside North America. Recent moves into Latin
America and Europe, however, have...
The honeymoon may be over for Polish hypermarkets, as a new report
claims their soaring growth in the last decade will soon start to
slow, forcing companies to adapt their strategies. Chris Mercer
reports.
Having just opened its 700th grocery store in Poland, Portuguese
retailer Jeronimo Martins intends to maintain its focus on the
smaller store format. Success in this market is helping the company
remain profitable, despite stagnant...
Europe's retailers are among the most international in the world,
but one market where they are still under-represented is Latin
America. Yet as the region's economies begin to strengthen after
several difficult years, the...
Britain's biggest retail group Tesco has finally made its first
entry into the massive Chinese market, finally sealing an on-off
deal with local group Ting Hsin. The UK's leading retailer now
joins Europe's biggest...
Being the biggest does not mean being the best, it appears.
Europe's largest food retailer Carrefour has announced that it will
not meet its sales targets for 2004 after a second poor quarter
from its French hypermarket division.
It is six months since Dutch retail group Ahold announced plans to
sell its Spanish supermarket business as part of its wider
restructuring programme, and a number of foreign and domestic
players have expressed an interest in buying...
Giant US retail group Wal-Mart maintained its already undisputed
lead in the global retail market in 2003, posting a 5 per cent
increase in sales. But despite the gulf separating Wal-Mart from
the rest, European leviathans Carrefour,...
Seemingly not content with already being the world's biggest retail
group, US-based Wal-Mart is looking to build up its relatively
feeble European presence over the next few years with the potential
aim of having stores in every...
Auchan, the French retail group, has reported remarkably good
figures for 2003 despite its reliance on its home market, where low
levels of consumer spending have impacted sales at a number of its
rivals.
France's loi Galland, the legislation which regulates the
relationship between suppliers and retailers, has come under fire
this month with both food manufacturers and supermarket groups
calling for a relaxation of the rules...
Luc Vandevelde, the man credited with bringing British retailer
Marks & Spencer out of the doldrums, has parted company with
the group four years after taking over as chairman. But as he
leaves, there are signs that all his good...
Two Spanish retail groups unveiled their 2003 results last week,
and both showed the benefits of a year of continued expansion in
the supermarket sector. But will either Eroski or Caprabo be
interested in further growth this year,...
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.
Guyenne & Gascogne, the French retail group which operates a
number of stores under the Carrefour banner, suffered the same
downturn in sales at its French outlets in 2003 as the larger group
under whose fascia it trades - and...
The uncertain economic and political conditions in 2003 put a major
brake on international retail growth, with relatively few mergers
and acquisitions in the global market. But 2004 should see
something of an upturn, driven by the...
Carrefour might be Europe's biggest food retailer, but even it is
not immune to the continued weakness of the economy in its home
market. The ongoing drop in French consumer purchasing power has
forced the company to invest heavily...
Eroski, the Basque retail group, is to rebadge all its 804
supermarket outlets this month after its joint venture with the
Consum group was wound up earlier this year. The company will take
advantage of the change to introduce a new...
German retail giant Metro shrugged off currency effects and tough
economic conditions in its home market last year to post a 4 per
cent increase in sales - driven mainly by its larger store formats
such as cash & carry warehouses...
Leading German hypermarket chain Kaufland has confirmed plans to
build its first hypermarket in Bulgaria. The outlet will be located
in Yambol, in the southeast of the country.
A decision this week by the Chinese government to lift restrictions
on foreign investment in the retail sector is likely to lead to a
rise in the number of companies seeking a share of the huge Chinese
market. But with the authorities...
The decision by French retail group Guyenne & Gascogne to
rapidly amortise the goodwill it accumulated as part of its
investment in Spanish company Centros Comerciales Carrefour has
paid dividends, allowing the company to post...
