Carrefour has appointed an English executive from rival retailer Tesco to run its business in France.

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The French retail giant has named James McCann as executive director for France as the company continues its bid to revitalise its domestic business.


McCann, who has worked for Tesco in Asia and Europe, replaces Gilles Petit as head of Carrefour’s French operations.


Carrefour said McCann had “extensive strategic knowledge of client reationship management which he acquired during his career at a global retail leader that has made client relationships a key to its success”.


“This knowledge will be a valuable asset for Carrefour, and he will also bring his recognised leadership and management skills to Carrefour as the group enters a new stage in its development in France,” the company added.

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McCann, who starts in February, faces a challenging task for Carrefour in France. The world’s second-largest retailer has focused on pricing, promotions and marketing to boost its French business.


The group has launched value own-label Carrefour Discount and expanded its supermarket and convenience store activities.


Yesterday, Carrefour published its 2009 sales figures. Full-year sales in France dropped 2.8% to EUR41.3bn (US$59.4bn) in the year to December. On a like-for-like basis, sales in the country fell 2.9%.


Carrefour’s French hypermarket sales fell 5.3% on a like-for-like basis, excluding fuel, to EUR21.66bn


However, Carrefour said it had gained market share in France in the fourth quarter, and had gained 0.3 percentage points in the first 11 months of the year.


Nicolas Champ, food retail analyst for Oddo et Cie, said the results were “broadly in line” with its forecasts and consensus figures.