Carrefour to invest US$ 561.8 mi per year until 2010
Gazeta Mercantil - 12/07/2007
Carrefour will invest R$ 1 billion (US$ 561.8 million) a year in the Country until 2010, in a total of R$ 3 billion (US$ 1.7 billion) in the period, announced, in Brasilia, the group's managing officer Jean-Marc Pueyo, while inaugurating a 10.6 thousand square meters store, one of the largest of the group, in the federal capital. According to Pueyo, the expectation is to sell R$ 130 million (US$ 73 million) in the new store in 2008. The group has 150 Carrefour units throughout Brazil, in addition to 40 units of the Atacadão trademark, the chain it purchased last year, and 300 "Dia %" stores in São Paulo. According to Pueyo, the purchase of Atacadão, by R$ 2.8 billion (US$ 1.6 billion), was the greatest individual private operation. Even though there are no deals in the horizon, Pueyo said the group does not rule out the possibility of new acquisitions. With the restructuring made by the group, Carrefour has lost market share to other chains, mainly to Pão de Açucar, which temporarily became the leader of the segment, but the retail group has already recovered the leadership in Brazil which, this year, became Carrefour's third main market, after France and Spain. According to the Officer, this was the best year of the chain in the Country.