Extract
[...] Initially limited to countries where the two groups are established, namely Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon and Kenya, this agreement relies on Carrefour's local subsidiaries, such as Majid Al Futtaim and CFAO Retail. With 70,000 sellers in 2024 and a increase in orders despite a decline in revenue, Jumia represents a major opportunity for Carrefour to expand its presence without having to develop significant physical infrastructure. Indeed, this strategy is part of a broader objective of transforming African retail commerce through digital means, relying on mobile money and urban logistics dynamics. And this, while responding to the new consumer habits of Africans who are very connected via their smartphones and applications. [...]
[...] Also, the internal organization changes as well. In fact, you don't manage a store in India the same way you manage a store in Spain. You need to have regional offices, teams that make the link between the headquarters (in France, for example) and the stores in the country. This requires a lot of coordination to achieve the desired goals. IV. New consumer expectations and strategic responses from retailers Today, customers no longer consume as before. The world is evolving rapidly, and consumer habits are also changing. [...]
[...] In 2024, Carrefour had chosen not to enter India alone. This country is very large, with many inhabitants and very different consumption habits. Carrefour had therefore partnered with the Apparel Group franchise, which knows well the expectations of Indians, their preferred products, the prices they are willing to pay, and the religious holidays that greatly influence consumption. Together, Carrefour and Apparel Group opened stores in major Indian cities. The strategy behind this business partnership is that Carrefour brings its expertise in logistics and marketing, while the subsidiary brings its knowledge of the local market. [...]
[...] The failure of Walmart in Germany between 1997 and 2006 is a case study that illustrates the poor strategic adaptation on a foreign market. Upon its arrival, had acquired two local chains (Wertkauf and Interspar), but encountered difficulties in imposing itself in a country where discounters like Aldi and Lidl dominate the market. German consumers prefer sobriety, durable low prices, and a simple offer, while puts emphasis on large hypermarkets, a wider offer, and occasional call prices. In addition, the products offered by, are often of Chinese origin (which justifies their low cost), were not new, and therefore not necessarily attractive because they were already present at competitors. [...]
[...] Internationalization Strategies The internationalization of large retail groups is not a random process. For a distribution company to succeed in selling its products in another country, it must follow a well-thought-out strategy. In this part, we will explain how large retailers, such as Carrefour, Auchan, Lidl or Tesco, succeed in setting up in other countries and selling their products successfully. We will first address the way they choose the countries in which to establish themselves, in a second part, the way they set up (alone or with partners), then the importance of adapting their offer to local habits while keeping their identity, and finally the place of digital and human teams in 'this great adventure'. [...]
