Carrefour

Corporate brand

French multinational retail and wholesaling group operating hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, cash-and-carry outlets and digital commerce services.

Last updated November 4, 2026

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Overview

Carrefour is a French multinational retail and wholesaling group headquartered in Massy, in the Paris metropolitan area. Its business is organized around several store formats, including large hypermarkets, supermarkets, neighborhood grocery stores, convenience stores and cash-and-carry outlets, complemented by private-label products, food services, e-commerce and franchise partnerships. The company is one of the world’s largest food retailers and, according to the cited Wikipedia reference, operated approximately 14,000 stores in 40 countries by 2024. The company was created in 1959 by Marcel Fournier, Denis Defforey and Jacques Defforey. The founders were influenced by the American retail seminars of Bernardo Trujillo and pursued a high-volume, broad-assortment model. The Carrefour name refers to a crossroads, reflecting the location of the first shop near Annecy. Carrefour’s most important early innovation was the hypermarket: a very large retail site combining supermarket-scale food retail with the assortment traditionally associated with a department store. The first Carrefour shop opened in 1960, while the first Carrefour hypermarket opened on 15 June 1963 in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois near Paris. Carrefour began international expansion in 1969 with entry into Belgium and subsequently developed operations across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its international model has varied by market. In some countries Carrefour has operated directly; in others it has relied on joint ventures, franchising or regional partners. Majid Al Futtaim has operated Carrefour businesses across much of the Middle East and North Africa since 1995, while CFAO has supported expansion in several African markets. Carrefour has also exited or re-entered selected countries as local market conditions, ownership structures and strategic priorities changed. A major corporate turning point came in 1999, when Carrefour merged with Promodès through a stock swap. This consolidated two major French retail groups and brought additional banners, locations and capabilities into the Carrefour organization. The group later expanded or reorganized operations in markets such as Italy, China, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Russia. Some initiatives were curtailed: the planned Russian expansion was abandoned after an initial Moscow opening in 2009, while Carrefour’s Greek operations were discontinued in 2017 and later relaunched through a franchise arrangement. In 2017 Alexandre Bompard became chairman and chief executive officer. In 2018 he introduced the Carrefour 2022 plan, which emphasized food and packaging sustainability, reduced food waste, development of organic products, stronger e-commerce, partnerships and cost and organizational changes. Carrefour has also pursued digital retail, loyalty services, private-label development and smaller urban formats in response to changing shopping habits and competition from discount and online retailers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it joined the C’est qui le Patron ? initiative, directing additional pandemic-related income toward support for affected people. Carrefour’s present identity combines the scale of a multinational food retailer with a portfolio of formats adapted to local shopping patterns. In France it operates Carrefour hypermarkets, Carrefour Market supermarkets, Carrefour City, Carrefour Contact and Carrefour Express convenience stores, as well as Promocash cash-and-carry sites and the Proxi supply network for independent stores. Internationally, branded stores may be operated by subsidiaries, franchisees or strategic partners and can differ substantially in size and assortment. The group’s strategic themes include food affordability, omnichannel commerce, private labels, fresh food, organic and responsible sourcing, waste reduction and expansion through asset-light partnerships.

History

Carrefour was formed in France in 1959 by Marcel Fournier, Denis Defforey and Jacques Defforey. The founders drew on American retail-management ideas and developed a large-scale, high-volume model focused on broad assortment and competitive pricing. The name Carrefour, meaning crossroads in French, reflected the location of the group’s first shop near Annecy. That shop opened in 1960. Carrefour’s defining contribution to European retail was the development of the hypermarket. On 15 June 1963 the company opened its first hypermarket in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois near Paris. The format placed a large food supermarket and a wide non-food assortment under one roof, usually in a suburban location with substantial parking. This model became central to Carrefour’s growth and influenced retail development across Europe and other regions. The group began cross-border expansion in 1969 by entering Belgium. During the 1970s it expanded into additional countries and continents. Carrefour entered Italy in 1972 and Brazil in 1975, while later expansion included Spain, Turkey, Romania, Argentina, China and numerous markets in Africa and the Middle East. Its geographic strategy combined wholly controlled businesses with joint ventures, franchise agreements and local operating partners. In 1999 Carrefour merged with Promodès through a stock swap. The transaction strengthened Carrefour’s position in France and added the Promodès organization and retail assets to the group. Carrefour subsequently consolidated or rebranded local networks in markets including Italy. It also tested ambitious international expansion, including projects in Eastern Europe, China and Russia. The Russian project was stopped in 2009 after an initial Moscow megastore, illustrating the limits of expansion where market potential and operating economics were unfavorable. The group continued to adjust its store portfolio and formats. In 2011 it announced a major investment program for Carrefour Planet, a Western European hypermarket concept intended to improve customer experience and organize stores around themed departments. From the late 2010s, strategy increasingly emphasized smaller formats, franchising, digital commerce, private labels, organic products and sustainability. Carrefour 2022, announced by Alexandre Bompard in 2018, linked these priorities with investment, organizational simplification and cost reduction. Carrefour’s international history includes both exits and re-entries. It left Greece in 2017 following the acquisition of its local business by Sklavenitis and returned in 2022 through Retail & More. The Carrefour brand has also been reintroduced in Bulgaria through franchising. In the Middle East and North Africa, Majid Al Futtaim has operated a large regional network since opening the first Carrefour-branded hypermarket in the United Arab Emirates in 1995. In Africa, Carrefour has expanded with partners including CFAO and local franchisees. These arrangements allow the brand to enter markets without replicating the same ownership and operating structure everywhere. In France, the group combines large hypermarkets with Carrefour Market supermarkets and Carrefour City, Contact and Express convenience banners. Promocash serves professional customers through cash-and-carry stores, while Proxi supports independent neighborhood retailers. Carrefour has also developed online grocery and omnichannel services. Its sustainability agenda has addressed organic ranges, food waste, packaging and responsible sourcing. During the COVID-19 pandemic it participated in the C’est qui le Patron ? initiative, sharing certain additional pandemic-related income to support people affected by the crisis. By 2024, the cited reference described Carrefour as operating around 14,000 stores in 40 countries and as the seventh-largest retailer globally by revenue. Its continuing challenge is to balance the economics of large-format stores with convenience, discount competition, online grocery and localized partnerships. The group’s current identity is therefore that of a multinational food-retail platform rather than a uniform chain with identical stores in every market.

2024
Global network reached approximately 14,000 stores
[1]Carrefouren.wikipedia.org
The cited reference described Carrefour as operating in 40 countries with approximately 14,000 stores.
2023
Bulgarian return announced
[1]Carrefouren.wikipedia.org
Carrefour announced a franchised return to Bulgaria.
2022
Carrefour returned to Greece
[1]Carrefouren.wikipedia.org
The brand re-entered Greece through a partnership with Retail & More.
2018
Carrefour 2022 plan launched
[2]Carrefour Group newsroomcarrefour.com
The strategic plan prioritized e-commerce, organic products, sustainability, food-waste reduction and cost transformation.
2017
Alexandre Bompard became chief executive
[1]Carrefouren.wikipedia.org
Alexandre Bompard was chosen as chairman and chief executive officer.
2011
Carrefour Planet investment announced
[1]Carrefouren.wikipedia.org
The group announced a major investment to introduce the Carrefour Planet hypermarket concept in Western Europe.
1999
Merger with Promodès
[1]Carrefouren.wikipedia.org
Carrefour merged with Promodès through a stock swap.
1995
Majid Al Futtaim regional partnership began
[1]Carrefouren.wikipedia.org
Majid Al Futtaim opened Carrefour’s first Middle Eastern store in Dubai.
1975
Brazilian operation established
[1]Carrefouren.wikipedia.org
Carrefour entered Brazil, which later became its largest market outside France.
1969
International expansion began
[1]Carrefouren.wikipedia.org
The group opened its first stores outside France in Belgium.
1963
First Carrefour hypermarket opened
[1]Carrefouren.wikipedia.org
Carrefour opened Europe’s first hypermarket in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois near Paris.
1960
First Carrefour shop opened
[1]Carrefouren.wikipedia.org
The first shop opened near Annecy in suburban France.
1959
Carrefour group created
[1]Carrefouren.wikipedia.org
Marcel Fournier, Denis Defforey and Jacques Defforey established the group in France.

Products and positioning

A mass-market, value-oriented omnichannel retailer combining hypermarket scale, neighborhood convenience, private-label products, food affordability and increasingly localized franchise and partnership models.

Hypermarket retail · 1963
Carrefour hypermarkets
Large-format stores combining extensive grocery ranges with non-food departments such as household goods, appliances, seasonal merchandise and personal care. Hypermarkets are Carrefour’s historic signature format and are generally located in suburban or high-traffic retail areas.
Supermarket retail
Carrefour Market
Supermarket-format stores intended to provide a broad food and household assortment at a smaller scale than a hypermarket. The banner is used in France and many international markets, with the exact size, ownership and product mix varying by country.
Convenience retail
Carrefour City, Contact and Express
Neighborhood-oriented formats designed for frequent shopping, proximity and extended convenience. They typically emphasize everyday groceries, fresh products, ready-to-eat items and household essentials, and are particularly important in urban and local-store strategies.
Cash-and-carry
Promocash
A Carrefour cash-and-carry network serving professional customers, including food-service operators and independent businesses. It extends the group beyond consumer grocery retail into wholesale-style supply.
Private label
Carrefour private-label products
Carrefour-branded and own-label products spanning food, beverages, household care, personal care and other daily necessities. Private labels support the group’s value proposition, differentiation and control over assortment and pricing.

Controversies

2026
France orders ANSSI investigation into supermarket refrigeration cyberattack
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu instructed the National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate a large-scale cyberattack on connected refrigeration systems at major French food retailers. The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed the incident resulted in food losses and fires. Officials are also coordinating with European counterparts to assess whether businesses in other countries could be vulnerable.
Source
2026
Cyber-attack affects supermarket refrigeration systems
A suspected cyber-attack affected refrigeration systems at supermarkets across six European countries, including Delhaize, Carrefour, Colruyt Group-operated shops, ICA, Coop, SuperValu and Selver stores. The attack caused some freezers to warm and food to be discarded. The attacker was not identified.
Source
2021
Taiwan fines Carrefour over supplier opening sponsorship fees
Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission found that Carrefour violated Article 25 of the Fair Trade Act by collecting new-store opening sponsorship fees from suppliers under existing contract terms and imposed a fine of NT$1.5 million.
Source
2021
Carrefour faces allegations over store-opening fees charged to suppliers
Eleven trade associations complained to Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission after allegations that Carrefour sought store-opening sponsorship fees from suppliers to Wellcome supermarkets and deducted the fees from payments. Carrefour denied using market power to require suppliers to sign, said it would investigate the allegations, and said suppliers could raise contract objections for discussion.
Source
2020
Brazilian state sues Carrefour unit over fatal beating
A state attorney in southern Brazil sued a Carrefour unit seeking 200 million reais in damages after security guards beat a Black man to death at one of its stores. The lawsuit also asked a court to shut the Porto Alegre store and called for a plan to combat racism and discriminatory treatment there.
Source
2013
Carrefour Baolongcang store fined for false advertising
Shijiazhuang Xinhua District Market Supervision Administration fined the Carrefour Baolongcang Berlin store 100,000 yuan after finding that it had illegally published false advertising.
Source

2020C’est qui le Patron ? COVID-19 solidarity initiative
France
Carrefour joined an initiative designed to share additional income associated with the pandemic and support people experiencing hardship.
Outcome. Positioned the retailer as participating in a pandemic-era income-sharing and solidarity effort.
Source
2018Carrefour 2022
International
A group-wide strategic program focused on e-commerce, organic products, food-waste reduction, packaging sustainability, investment, organizational simplification and cost reduction.
Outcome. Provided the group’s principal strategic framework for the late 2010s and early 2020s.
Source

Brand decisions

2023
Partner with Uber on electric-vehicle chargingOther
Background
Carrefour sought to use its charging infrastructure while Uber supported charging access for drivers using electric vehicles.
Action taken
The companies cooperated on access to Carrefour Énergies charging points in France.
Aftermath
The partnership linked Carrefour’s retail and energy infrastructure with urban mobility services.
Source
2023
Return to Bulgaria through franchisingStrategy
Background
Carrefour had exited Bulgaria and sought a lower-capital route back into the market.
Action taken
The group announced a partnership with Retail & More for store and product reintroduction through sub-franchising.
Aftermath
The brand began returning to selected Bulgarian cities under a partner-led model.
Source
2018
Launch Carrefour 2022Strategy
Background
Carrefour faced pressure from changing shopping habits, online grocery, discount competition and the need to improve the economics of its store network.
Action taken
The group set priorities around e-commerce, organic products, sustainability, food-waste reduction, partnerships, investment and cost reduction.
Aftermath
The plan shaped Carrefour’s subsequent omnichannel and sustainability agenda.
Source
2017
Appoint Alexandre Bompard as chairman and CEOOther
Background
The board selected new leadership for the multinational retail group.
Action taken
Alexandre Bompard was appointed chairman and chief executive officer, effective 18 July 2017.
Aftermath
He subsequently introduced the Carrefour 2022 transformation plan.
Source
2011
Invest in Carrefour PlanetStrategy
Background
Carrefour sought to renew its Western European hypermarkets and make the large-format proposition more attractive.
Action taken
The group announced a €1.5 billion investment program for the Carrefour Planet concept.
Aftermath
The initiative became part of Carrefour’s effort to modernize and reorganize its hypermarket estate.
Planned investment. €1.5 billion (Announced May 2011)
Source

Recent events

Unconfirmed
Reported2026.11.02
Cyber-attack affects supermarket refrigeration systems[9]Cyber-attack affects supermarket refrigeration systemsbbc.co.uk
A suspected cyber-attack affected refrigeration systems at supermarkets across six European countries, including Delhaize, Carrefour, Colruyt Group-operated shops, ICA, Coop, SuperValu and Selver stores. The attack caused some freezers to warm and food to be discarded. The attacker was not identified.
2026.11.02
Reported2026.11.03
Carrefour stores in Belgium affected by refrigeration problems[13]家乐福比利时门店受制冷问题影响cqnews.net
Carrefour said refrigeration problems affected about 15 of its 700 stores in Belgium.
2026.11.02
Reported2026.11.03
Cyberattacks disrupt supermarket refrigeration systems[14]网络攻击扰乱超市制冷系统cnbc.com
On November 2, cyberattacks affected refrigeration systems at supermarkets in several European countries. Ahold Delhaize said dozens of its stores in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected and food had to be discarded; other affected retailers included Carrefour, Intermarché, IKEA, ICA, Kesko, SuperValu and One Selver. IKEA said it was inspecting affected equipment and products and investigating the incident.
2026.11.02
Cyberattacks disrupt supermarket refrigeration systems[15]网络攻击扰乱超市制冷系统1059thebrew.iheart.com
Suspected cyberattacks disrupted refrigeration systems at supermarkets in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Estonia, and Ireland, causing freezer temperatures to rise and food to be discarded. SuperValu reported a cyber incident at 13 stores and said its investigation was ongoing; authorities had not identified who was responsible.
2026.10.20
Reported2026.10.21
Carrefour cuts 2026 forecast[16]家乐福下调2026年业绩预期cnbc.com
Carrefour cut its full-year 2026 financial forecasts, citing worsening social unrest and security conditions in France and their effects on consumer spending.
Unconfirmed
Reported2026.10.13
Cyberattack disrupts refrigeration at French supermarkets, heating fridges to 50°C[17]网络攻击致法国超市联网制冷系统升温至50°C并造成大范围中断infotechlead.com
A large-scale cyberattack on connected refrigeration systems disrupted hundreds of French supermarkets, raising temperatures to as high as 50 degrees Celsius for about six hours overnight, spoiling food and causing fires. Intermarche reported approximately 150 affected stores, Carrefour 80 affected supermarkets, Cooperative U 80 of roughly 2,000 stores, and Monoprix about 25 locations (5 percent of its approximately 490 French stores). Retailers discarded affected food to eliminate health risks; potential losses were put at up to €200,000 at a larger hypermarket, with Intermarche's CEO estimating tens of millions of euros in nationwide losses in a single day. ANSSI identified a vulnerability in software supplied by Danfoss, which said the affected units were running outdated firmware, and a threat-intelligence analyst said Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany and Belgium had also been affected.
Unconfirmed
Reported2026.10.13
French PM orders ANSSI to investigate supermarket refrigeration cyberattack[5]France orders ANSSI investigation into supermarket refrigeration cyberattackgrenadachronicle.com
The cyberattack on connected refrigerators at major French food retailers prompted Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to order France's National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate, according to a person in his office. France is coordinating with European counterparts because other countries could also be affected, and authorities are assessing whether other French companies are at risk.
2026.10.12
Reported2026.10.13
Cyberattack overheats fridges at French supermarkets including Intermarché and Coopérative U, spoiling food[18]网络攻击致法国多家超市(含Intermarché与Coopérative U)冰箱过热、食品变质cnbc.com
Hackers targeted hundreds of French supermarkets in a cyberattack that caused refrigerators and freezers to overheat to as much as 50 degrees Celsius overnight, spoiling food and producing smoke in some stores, though Les Mousquetaires said no fires had been reported. Chains affected included Carrefour, Monoprix, Les Mousquetaires-owned Intermarché and Coopérative U, and the attack reportedly affected several European countries including Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany and Belgium. Les Mousquetaires said around 180 stores were affected and it expected losses of several million euros after the cyberattack hit a service provider responsible for managing refrigeration systems inside some stores; Intermarché and Netto removed and disposed of affected products to ensure consumer safety, and Coopérative U's CEO confirmed that cyberattacks had affected refrigeration facilities at several stores.
Unconfirmed
Reported2026.10.12
French prosecutors open cyber-crime investigation into supermarket fridge hack[7]France orders ANSSI investigation into supermarket refrigeration cyberattackbbc.co.uk
French prosecutors opened a specific cyber-crime investigation into the attack that disrupted supermarket refrigeration, with the Paris prosecutor's office calling it a large-scale cyber-attack affecting the refrigerators of several major food retail chains across France.
2026.10.12
Reported2026.10.12
Cyber attack heats fridges at hundreds of French supermarkets, spoiling food[7]France orders ANSSI investigation into supermarket refrigeration cyberattackbbc.co.uk
Overnight into 12 October 2026, hackers took control of refrigeration-management software provided by Danish engineering firm Danfoss, forcing fridges and freezers at hundreds of French supermarkets to heat up and spoiling fresh and frozen food estimated to be worth millions of euros. More than 100 Coopérative U supermarkets, 180 Intermarché and Netto stores, 80 Carrefour stores, about 5% of Monoprix stores and E.Leclerc shops were hit. Retailers discarded or removed affected food from sale and disconnected further stores from the internet; Danfoss said the affected cold units were older models whose security software could not be updated.

Sources66 sources

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