French retail giant Carrefour is facing renewed calls for consumers to shun its retail outlets in China in a boycott scheduled to begin on Thursday (1 May), the company told just-food.
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“There is a call to boycott from 1 May and we shall see the extent that protests have effected our sales after this,” a spokesperson for the company said.
Earlier this month, Chinese demonstrators took to the streets in several cities to demand a boycott of French goods. The protestors targeted Carrefour in particular, suggesting that the retailer supported a free Tibet.
The Chinese demonstrations and upsurge in nationalist sentiment were a backlash against the pro-Tibet protests that took place around the Olympic torch relay in Paris.
Carrefour said that it has, as yet, been unable to gauge the impact that the boycott has had on sales in China.
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By GlobalData“We did not draw up a balance sheet. Fifteen stores were effected by demonstrations outside them and these stores certainly saw sales decline,” the spokesperson added.
In response to this fresh wave of protest, Carrefour has cancelled a sales promotion that had been planned for 1 May, the company conceded.
