Carrefour Q1 sales rise 2.5 percent

The Carrefour Group posted sales of 20,053 million euros (22,624 million dollars) in the first quarter. In the quarter, the company said, currencies and petrol prices had unfavourable impacts of 6.9 percent and 1.2 percent respectively and the calendar effect was 0.6 percent. Total sales under banners including petrol stood at 24.6 billion euros (27.7 billion dollars), up 2.5 percent at constant exchange rates.

In the first quarter, France recorded stable sales ex petrol of 0.1 percent, over the 7.9 percent growth posted in the first quarter of 2015. Like-for-like sales at hypermarkets were down 0.6 percent on a strong comparable base of 2.1 percent. Like-for-like sales at supermarkets were up by 0.7 percent, with an equally strong comparable base of 2.5 percent, marking the sixth consecutive quarterly growth in sales. Like-for-like sales in convenience and other formats were up 1.1 percent.

Posts like-for-like sales improvement in Q1

The transformation of stores acquired from Dia has gained pace since the start of the year: 115 stores were reopened in Q1 2016, bringing to 267 the number of stores converted to Carrefour banners since the start of the program.

Like-for-like sales in international activities rose by 5.3 percent with the calendar effect of 0.6 percent in the quarter. The currency impact was strong at -12.6 percent. In other European countries, like-for-like sales were up 3.2 percent. Every country posted like-for-like growth in the quarter. Like-for-like sales in Spain continued to grow, with a rise of 3.4 percent in the first quarter. Trends also improved in Italy, where like-for-like sales were up by 4.5 percent. Sales in Belgium were up by 1 percent on a like-for-like basis. They were also up in Poland and sharply up in Romania.

In Latin America, like-for-like sales were up by 13.5 percent and 17.1 percent on an organic basis). In Brazil, like-for-like sales were up by 9.9 percent or 14.3 percent on an organic basis on a strong comparable base of 8.4 percent in the first quarter of 2015.

Like-for-like sales in Argentina rose by 23.6 percent but like-for-like sales in Asia were down 4.9 percent. Like-for-like sales in China were down 8.4 percent but in Taiwan, sales grew for the fifth consecutive quarter with like-for-like sales up 8.4 percent.