Carrefour investing in Belgium and Poland | Progresiv

Carrefour’s CEO for Belgium and COO for supermarkets and convenience stores in Poland have discussed the outlooks for their markets and how the retailer plans to continue to expand, despite high levels of competition and thinning margins in both markets.During 2016 Carrefour has invested in its operations in the country to open 10 new stores, modernise 14 existing ones and add two new variations to its Market format; an upmarket and an urban versions. Discussing the company’s investment during the year, François Vincent, the COO for supermarkets and convenience stores in Poland said that Carrefour would open a further two stores, while looking for opportunities to add its ‘Bio’ (‘Organic’) focused fascia in the country as well.

Meanwhile, in an interview with L’Echo, Carrefour Belgium’s CEO, Francois-Melchior de Polignac, said that despite other people’s views, the company did not feel that the country was saturated and that there were expansion opportunities for its Easy supermarket format. De Polignac said that Carrefour has opened 17 stores in Belgium during 2016, with the launch of the Easy banner being the stand out development for the company. The Easy fascia was introduced with the opening of two stores, while it will operate seven by the end of the year.

Also, de Polignac said that the retailer had learned a lot from the opening and development of its hypermarket in Mons, with elements of that store’s look and feel being rolled out to other hypermarkets in the country. He said that the retailer was becoming more adaptable to the way it approaches its redevelopment of its largest stores, believing instead that ‘each hypermarket has to be tailor-made according to its size, location and catchment area’. (www.igd.com)