Carrefour set to focus on France

Carrefour is to concentrate on strengthening its position in its domestic French market and is likely to dispose of unprofitable businesses overseas.

Although Carrefour would not specify which markets it may pull out of, analysts believe that Japan and Mexico are the two most likely.

Carrefour plans to raise EUR1 billion (£681 million) by disposing of underperforming businesses.

Broker JP Morgan believes Carrefour could raise EUR300 million (£203.7 million) from its Japanese arm, and about EUR350 million to EUR400 million (£238 million to£272 million) from Mexico.

The retailer plans to fight even harder on price in its French hypermarkets, with every store becoming the cheapest in its locality next year. At the moment, 80 per cent of the stores are either number one or two in price in their catchments, compared with 30 per cent at the beginning of the year.

Carrefour is also on track to open 1 million sq ft (92,900 sq m) of space as a group this year, with 80 per cent outside France. It plans to continue to open space at that rate over the next few years.

The French grocery giant announced net sales in the first half of the year up by 4 per cent, at constant exchange rates, to EUR34.54 billion (£23.51 billion). EBIT increased by 4.5 per cent to EUR1.21 billion (£823.8 million).