The Carrefour Group - statistics & facts
The history of Carrefour began in 1959 with a meeting between two families: the Fourniers, owners of a department store, and the Badin-Defforeys, owners of a wholesale store. One year later, the first Carrefour supermarket opened its doors in Annecy. Building on their success and inspired by their American counterparts, the new brand inaugurated France’s very first hypermarket in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois in 1963. More success then followed over the years: in 1969, expanding beyond its homeland, Carrefour launched its first shop in Belgium, while the 1970s witnessed the openings of stores across Italy, Spain, and Brazil. The merger of Carrefour with Promodès in 1999 marked another crucial stage in the group’s international development, effectively turning it into Europe’s leading retailer. As of 2022, Carrefour is present throughout the world with over 14,400 stores spead across more than 30 different countries.
