The first Carrefour hypermarket in Russia and CIS opens its doors in Moscow today. At 1 pm Moscow time (11 am CET) Carrefour will happily serve its first customers in Russia. Thus marking the arrival of No.1 in Europe and world’s second-largest retailer.

The store opens in the Filion shopping mall in Moscow. It occupies two floors and a sales area of nearly 8.000 square meters with 58 checkout counters and 450 staff members. From food products (15.000 items) to clothes, white & brown goods, etc. (30.000 non food items), the Carrefour store offers a wide variety of quality goods to its clients.

Among the next projects of Carrefour in Russia are the openings of two hypermarkets in Krasnodar’s Galaxy shopping mall and in the center of Lipetsk, both by the end of 2009. The company will make a substantial contribution to the Russian economy development due to encouraging local sourcing and hiring local residents. Near 90 per cent of the products offered in store are locally supplied.

Carrefour Russia has recently signed a partnership agreement with Russian welfare fund Samusocial Moskva in order to support socially outcast children and teenagers in rehabilitation.

Download  the press release