Express shopping

Out of a total of 15,000 stores, Carrefour had 4,812 convenience stores in 2008, mainly held by franchisees and operating under such banners as Marché Plus, Shopi, 8 à Huit and Proxi in France and DiperDi in Italy. The franchisees benefit from everything the banner has to offer, including customer-targeted concepts, products providing the best value for the money, and services and operating staff dedicated to sharing their expertise. To contribute its cutting-edge skills and strong name recognition to this format, the Carrefour Group has been introducing its own brand to convenience stores. Under the Carrefour Express banner, Brazil opened five shops in service stations in 2007 and added three more in 2008. Poland has set up 27 Carrefour 5 Minut stores in various cities, with some located in service stations. In Spain, 11 Carrefour City stores began operating in central Madrid after the Group acquired the Superma chain. In Taiwan, Carrefour is opening its first convenience store in 2009: Carrefour Convenient Buy, open 24/7 to meet the needs of urban consumers.

Daily shopping needs

City trends point to quick shopping trips on foot for additional items.
In France, the Group is simultaneously testing two new banners geared to daily living: Carrefour Contact and Carrefour City.
Located at the entrance or in the centre of small towns and villages, Carrefour Contact offers a selection of products for preparing meals, including a generous assortment of fresh produce and a butcher’s department. Carrefour City is specially designed to meet the needs of a highly mobile urban clientele. It's a fun, vibrant, user-friendly place to shop, with two main areas: ready-to-eat products and daily items. Carrefour City is open long hours to keep pace with urban lifestyles: in Paris, it is open from 7 am to 11 pm.
At these two retailers, customers find all the features of the Carrefour brand, especially its wide-ranging assortment and unique loyalty programme valid at all Carrefour banners in France. All of this fits neatly into compact spaces: 800 sq.m on average at Carrefour Contact and 400 to 600 sq.m at Carrefour City.

Carrefour City in Spain

With 11 Carrefour City stores in Madrid, Carrefour expanded operations in the heart of the Spanish capital in 2008, with a format complementing the hypermarket and supermarket models. Since its inception in late 2007, Carrefour City has established itself as a modern concept that is revolutionizing convenience shopping by offering customers the best value for their money. Its assortment is tailored to the needs of urban customers. Made up 90% of food products, it features over 1,000 Carrefour brand items and useful services, like mobile phone top-up vouchers and home delivery, that distinguish Carrefour City from its competitors.