Carrefour Chairman and CEO Alexandre Bompard on Wednesday underscored the "very strong potential" of the French retail giant as a standalone company during the group's annual general meeting.
Responding to speculation that Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize considered acquiring Carrefour in late 2024 before ultimately backing out, Bompard said he could not comment on the matter. However, he noted that such rumors "highlight the great attractiveness" of the French group "for many players."
The CEO's current term is set to end in mid-2026.
Since Bompard took the helm at Carrefour in July 2017, the group's share price has dropped by roughly a third.
"There are these approaches that have been mentioned, but there are also other types of discussions taking place in other geographies," Bompard added.
"At the end of the day, contrary to what some may suggest, Carrefour is doing well, Carrefour is attractive," he insisted.
The CEO also addressed several questions from the group's labor unions, who attended the meeting from a separate room where the session was broadcast on a screen.
"Communicating like this, through a screen, unfortunately reflects the state of social dialogue at Carrefour these days," complained the CFDT union representative during the Q&A session.
The unions specifically pressed Bompard on the controversial franchising and lease-management models, which are becoming increasingly common.
Carrefour is also currently facing multiple legal proceedings related to its franchise contracts in France.
Nevertheless, Bompard defended his strategy. "The root of our disagreement (...) is that you analyze Carrefour as if we were in a protected, sheltered environment, as if we had no competitors," the CEO replied.
(Written by Florence Loève, edited by Augustin Turpin)
