French retail giant Carrefour has posted 2002 net profit before exceptional items up 15.1% year-on-year to €1.38bn (US$1.51bn), narrowly beating analysts’ average forecasts.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The group said sales before taxes were down to €63.73bn from €69.49bn a year earlier.
Carrefour said it remained cautious on the economic outlook for 2003, but said it would open 830 new stores in the year, bringing its total number of outlets to more than 10,000.
The group also said it was targeting a sales increase of at least 5% for 2003 at constant exchange rates.
Carrefour’s CEO Daniel Bernard said his company would not consider making a bid for Dutch retailer Ahold, but said that it might be interested in any assets that Ahold decides to dispose of, reported Reuters.

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData