ABSTRACT
Carrefour is the second largest retailer in the world by sales. This position was achieved following the merger with French retailer, Promodès, in September 1999. Even as the second largest, Carrefour’s turnover is only a third that of Wal-Mart, at €79 billion in 2004, but it is a leading global retailer with a significant international presence. At the end of 2004 Carrefour was established in 29 countries. It operated stores in each of the four major continents and subregions of Western Europe, Central Europe, South America and Asia. It was a multi-format group operating hypermarkets, supermarkets, discount stores and convenience stores, but the hypermarket has been the core format for Carrefour in almost every market in which it operates.
