LEADING RETAILERS REVIEW: CARREFOUR, WALMART, TESCO, METRO

We look at what's been happening at Carrefour, Walmart, Tesco and Metro during the first quarter of 2016.

Carrefour: multi-format expansion, acquisitions and results

• Carrefour reported a 3% increase in net sales to EUR76bn, on an organic basis, for 2015. Q1 2016 results revealed an increase of 3.8% to EUR20bn
• In Africa, CFAO Retail will open Carrefour Market supermarkets as well as further hypermarkets and, in the medium term, cash and carry and convenience stores. It has ruled out online or Drive in the short term due to low levels of e-commerce penetration
• In a joint venture, Sklavenitis will take over the management of Marinopoulos' hypermarkets, which should lead to expansion. Conversely, Marinopoulos reportedly plans to sell its largest store in Sofia, Bulgaria
• Singapore's GIC fund is investing nearly USD400m in PT Trans Retail, which operates the Carrefour and Transmart networks, fuelling plans to add ten stores in majorIndonesian cities
• Carrefour is acquiring 36 compact hypermarkets from Eroski, expanding to 27 newSpanish cities, and is extending Drive to the Basque Country  
• In Turkey, the Kiler acquisition boosted 2015 turnover of CarrefourSA by 26%. The franchised operation has a new MD: Ziya Hakan Ergin
• Carrefour opened its sixth 'Bio' organic store in Paris and will take the concept to other large French cities. It also launched its first TV advertising campaign dedicated to organics, to highlight the breadth of its offer
• Carrefour opened a connected store in Buenos Aires, with a host of technological innovations and features
• In Poland, Carrefour plans to open around 150 stores, and remodel others, in 2016. It launched online in Krakow in late 2015 and has now extended click and collect to Warsaw
• Carrefour Italy opened the 'king of gourmet' supermarket in Milan, building on previous gourmet stores in the city with features like a 40-seat bar, extensive organic and vegan ranges, and a champagne experience
• It is expanding click and collect at supermarkets in Belgium, helping it compete with Albert Heijn, and is trialling an app-based system to speed up order fulfilment
• Carrefour aims to establish regional logistics hubs in France capable of sustaining the supply of all store formats in an area
• In March it was reported that Carrefour was in talks to invest in Israeli retailer Victory Supermarket Chain  

We have examined five priorities for Carrefour in 2016. Find out more here.

Walmart: e-commerce, emerging markets and supercenter reinvention

• Walmart has shifted responsibility for operations in India and Africa into a broaderemerging markets group which also includes Latin America
• Massmart's total sales rose 8.4% in 2015, with sales up 13.8% outside South Africa (in local currency terms)
• Walmart is reinventing its Supercenter offer in the US. We visited one of the latest remodels to see this in action; find out more here
• Walmart has confirmed its commitment to Japan and will focus on improving the performance of existing stores, particularly Seiyu
• In China, Walmart Global Shop has launched, allowing users of the retailer's smartphone app to buy products from other countries. Walmart sees further potential in China and plans to add 60 stores by 2017. It is working with the local government of industrial city Dongguan to build eight stores and a distribution centre that will fuel expansion in south China
• Walmex reported net sales growth of 11% for 2015, calling it a solid year. In Mexico, e-commerce sales were a highlight
• In Chile, Walmart is prioritising both technology and new stores to drive growth in 2016
• Walmart is expanding grocery e-commerce to seven more markets within the US as it seeks to double market coverage by the end of this year
• In Canada, Walmart is expanding click and collect for groceries to the Toronto area following a test in Ottawa

Tesco: encouraging results, new private labels and expansion

• Tesco reported encouraging results for 2015/16, reflecting significant progress on its transformation priorities in the UK and internationally. Find out more here
• Tracey Clements has taken over as head of Tesco's convenience business, replacing Tony Reed. Duncan Hoy, former operations director at Dutch chain Jumbo, has been appointed managing director of large stores. He will report to newly-promoted UK chief operating officer Tony Hoggett 
• Andrew Yaxley, CEO of Tesco Ireland, has set out new priorities for improving the Irish business, including putting fresh food at the heart of strategy
• Tesco has taken full control of its Harris + Hoole coffee shop chain, making its future within the group more secure. However the Nutricentre health and wellness business is to be closed
• Star Bazaar stores will stock Future Group private label in a deal between Trent Hypermarkets and Future Group. This is the first time in the Indian market where a retailer will stock a competitor's private label
• In the UK, Tesco launched entry level private label brands in fresh produce and meat, using different farm names to provide distinct identities. Chief product officer Jason Tarry has hinted at a gradual phasing out of the Everyday Value brand
• Tesco is ending 24-hour trading at 76 of its largest UK stores in a move to improve the shopping experience and operational efficiency of the stores
• Tesco is selling part of its stake in South-east Asian online marketplace Lazada, but is expanding in Thailand where Tesco Lotus will open 65 stores this year

Hear from Dave Lewis, Matt Davies and the senior team at the Tesco Business Update on 11 May. Find out more here

Metro: demerger, new markets and management changes

• Metro revealed a proposed demerger which would see it split into two groups: wholesale and food specialist, and consumer electronics. Should this go ahead, Metro targets implementation in mid-2017 
• In Germany, Metro Cash & Carry appointed Thomas Storck as CEO. Chairman of Real Didier Fleury will take on a new strategic role, reporting directly to group CEO Olaf Koch
• Metro's first quarter 2015/16 sales were down 1.3% to EUR17.1bn, impacted by exchange rate developments, particularly relating to the Russian rouble. The group expects Metro Cash & Carry and Media-Saturn to be the key drivers of total sales and like-for-like growth for the full year
• Metro is considering entering Myanmar and Iran. Both could offer significant long-term growth opportunities, with Asia an important region for the group
• Metro Cash & Carry plans to open two MyMart convenience stores this year inShanghai, accelerating the development of its franchise business in China