Carrefour S.A.
French multinational retail and wholesale corporation operating hypermarkets, supermarkets, and convenience stores worldwide.
Company Type
public
Founded
1958
Headquarters
Massy, France
Stock
Euronext Paris: CA
About Carrefour S.A.
What does Carrefour own?
Carrefour operates a network of more than 14,000 stores across 30+ countries under formats including Carrefour hypermarkets, Carrefour Market supermarkets, Carrefour Express convenience stores, and the Atacadao cash-and-carry format in Brazil. The company also operates Carrefour Banque, a financial services business providing consumer credit and insurance in France.
Carrefour operates a network of more than 14,000 stores across 30+ countries under formats including Carrefour hypermarkets, Carrefour Market supermarkets, Carrefour Express convenience stores, and the Atacadao cash-and-carry format in Brazil. The company also operates Carrefour Banque, a financial services business providing consumer credit and insurance in France.
Is Carrefour publicly traded?
Yes, Carrefour S.A. trades on Euronext Paris under ticker symbol CA. The company has no controlling shareholder, with ownership distributed among institutional investors and individual shareholders.
Yes, Carrefour S.A. trades on Euronext Paris under ticker symbol CA. The company has no controlling shareholder, with ownership distributed among institutional investors and individual shareholders.
What is Carrefour's annual revenue?
In FY2024, Carrefour reported net sales of €85.4 billion and total revenue of €87.3 billion. France is the largest single market, accounting for approximately 40% of group revenue.
In FY2024, Carrefour reported net sales of €85.4 billion and total revenue of €87.3 billion. France is the largest single market, accounting for approximately 40% of group revenue.
Who is Carrefour's CEO?
Alexandre Bompard has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Carrefour since June 2017. Before joining Carrefour, Bompard led FNAC Darty, a French electronics and cultural goods retailer. He launched the Carrefour 2022 and subsequently Carrefour 2026 strategic plans.
Alexandre Bompard has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Carrefour since June 2017. Before joining Carrefour, Bompard led FNAC Darty, a French electronics and cultural goods retailer. He launched the Carrefour 2022 and subsequently Carrefour 2026 strategic plans.
Who invented the hypermarket?
Carrefour is widely credited with opening the world's first hypermarket on June 15, 1963, in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, near Paris. The format combined a full supermarket with general merchandise under one roof and became the dominant large-format retail model in Europe and Latin America.
Carrefour is widely credited with opening the world's first hypermarket on June 15, 1963, in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, near Paris. The format combined a full supermarket with general merchandise under one roof and became the dominant large-format retail model in Europe and Latin America.
Where does Carrefour operate?
Carrefour operates in more than 30 countries, with its largest markets being France, Spain, Brazil, Belgium, Poland, Italy, and Taiwan. The company operates a mix of company-owned stores and franchised locations, with franchise arrangements particularly common in smaller markets and convenience formats.
Carrefour operates in more than 30 countries, with its largest markets being France, Spain, Brazil, Belgium, Poland, Italy, and Taiwan. The company operates a mix of company-owned stores and franchised locations, with franchise arrangements particularly common in smaller markets and convenience formats.
History of Carrefour S.A.
Carrefour was founded in 1958 by Marcel Fournier and brothers Denis and Jacques Defforey in Annecy, in the French Alps. The founders opened a small supermarket in the city center and quickly identified an opportunity to develop a larger format that could offer a wider range of products at competitive prices.
On June 15, 1963, Carrefour opened what is widely recognized as the world's first hypermarket in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, near Paris. The store combined a full supermarket with clothing, appliances, and other general merchandise under one roof, with ample parking for car-owning consumers. The format was a commercial success and was rapidly replicated across France and internationally.
Carrefour expanded internationally in the late 1960s and 1970s, opening stores in Belgium (1969), Spain (1973), Brazil (1975), and Argentina (1982). The company's international expansion strategy focused on markets where the hypermarket format was not yet established and where Carrefour could enter as a first mover with a differentiated retail proposition.
In France, Carrefour faced increasing competition from other hypermarket operators including Auchan, Leclerc, and Intermarché through the 1980s and 1990s. The company responded by expanding its private label offerings, investing in store quality, and developing smaller-format stores to serve urban consumers.
In 1999, Carrefour merged with Promodès, a French retail group that operated the Champion supermarket chain and Shopi convenience stores, in a transaction valued at approximately €16 billion. The merger created one of the world's two largest retailers alongside Walmart and significantly expanded Carrefour's European supermarket presence.
The 2000s were a period of strategic repositioning for Carrefour. The company divested operations in markets where it lacked scale or competitive position, including Japan (2005), South Korea (2006), Mexico (2005), and Switzerland (2007). These divestitures reflected a recognition that Carrefour's hypermarket format was not universally competitive and that the company needed to focus resources on markets where it had strong positions.
Alexandre Bompard was appointed Chairman and CEO in June 2017, succeeding Georges Plassat. Bompard, who had previously led FNAC Darty, launched the Carrefour 2022 strategic plan focused on cost reduction, digital transformation, and portfolio optimization. The plan was subsequently extended as the Carrefour 2026 plan, targeting continued cost savings, food transition leadership, and digital commerce growth.
In February 2025, Bompard announced a new strategic plan targeting €1 billion in annual cost cuts, with a refocus on Carrefour's core markets of France, Spain, and Brazil. The plan reflected a strategic decision to concentrate resources on the company's strongest markets rather than pursuing broad international expansion.
Brands Owned by Carrefour S.A.
Carrefour S.A. owns 0 brands in our database.
Stock Information
Carrefour S.A. Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Europe's largest food retailer with strong brand recognition and store network across 30+ countries
- +FY2024 net sales of €85.4 billion demonstrate the scale and resilience of the business
- +Atacadao cash-and-carry format in Brazil provides exposure to a high-growth retail segment
- +Strong private label portfolio provides pricing flexibility and higher margins than branded goods
- +Carrefour 2026 strategic plan targets €1 billion in annual cost savings to improve profitability
Considerations
- -Leclerc has surpassed Carrefour as the market share leader in French food retail, the company's largest market
- -Hard discount competition from Aldi and Lidl continues to pressure hypermarket traffic and margins
- -Complex multi-country operations across 30+ markets create significant management and regulatory complexity
- -Currency exposure from Brazil and other emerging markets creates earnings volatility
- -Hypermarket format faces structural headwinds as consumers shift toward smaller-format and online shopping
Frequently Asked Questions About Carrefour S.A.
What does Carrefour own?
Carrefour operates a network of more than 14,000 stores across 30+ countries under formats including Carrefour hypermarkets, Carrefour Market supermarkets, Carrefour Express convenience stores, and the Atacadao cash-and-carry format in Brazil. The company also operates Carrefour Banque, a financial services business providing consumer credit and insurance in France.
Is Carrefour publicly traded?
Yes, Carrefour S.A. trades on Euronext Paris under ticker symbol CA. The company has no controlling shareholder, with ownership distributed among institutional investors and individual shareholders.
What is Carrefour's annual revenue?
In FY2024, Carrefour reported net sales of €85.4 billion and total revenue of €87.3 billion. France is the largest single market, accounting for approximately 40% of group revenue.
Who is Carrefour's CEO?
Alexandre Bompard has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Carrefour since June 2017. Before joining Carrefour, Bompard led FNAC Darty, a French electronics and cultural goods retailer. He launched the Carrefour 2022 and subsequently Carrefour 2026 strategic plans.
Who invented the hypermarket?
Carrefour is widely credited with opening the world's first hypermarket on June 15, 1963, in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, near Paris. The format combined a full supermarket with general merchandise under one roof and became the dominant large-format retail model in Europe and Latin America.
Where does Carrefour operate?
Carrefour operates in more than 30 countries, with its largest markets being France, Spain, Brazil, Belgium, Poland, Italy, and Taiwan. The company operates a mix of company-owned stores and franchised locations, with franchise arrangements particularly common in smaller markets and convenience formats.
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