Thread: Carrefour to exit Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia

Originally Posted by Butterfly

they have better choice than Tesco, and they are the only ones to bring decent French food here

What utter nonsense. They sell practically the same lines as Tesco Lotus and BigC both of whom offer a better service and in the case of fresh produce a far better quality. As far as I was aware the only " French " products worth going out of one's way for actually sold by Kowfoo were the economical wines and the baguettes, hardly an extensive repertoire denoting a national cuisine.

Kowfoo is as French as Tesco Lotus is British.

Get a grip you silly Belgian.

Originally Posted by thegent

As far as I was aware the only " French " products worth going out of one's way for actually sold by Kowfoo were the economical wines and the baguettes, hardly an extensive repertoire denoting a national cuisine.

as usual talking out of your ass, if you had looked carefully in some of the shelf section, some products were exclusively French that you couldn't find anywhere else in Thailand.

What a tard you make,

Tesco Lotus and BigC both of whom offer a better service and in the case of fresh produce a far better quality.

tesco lotus are a disorganised and poorly stocked joke.

at least in hua hin.

maybe some of the bangkok stores are better, the rama 4 tesco bears little resemblance to its "runt of the litter" brother in hua hin.

product lines are always changing, with more and more branded goods being replaced by tesco copy products, the pricing is inconsistent and the quality of the fruit and vegetables there is dismal. staff attitude could be improved too.

carrefour (in bangkok) is a much better store with a wider variety of foods available, as a brit i have an natural aversion to buying french sourced products, but apart from the overpriced cheeses and synthetic yoghurts i have not noticed much in the way of french foods there.

Tesco eyes Carrefour
13/07/2010

Tesco Plc investors want the UK's largest retailer to bid for Carrefour's Southeast Asian supermarket assets. Just not at the indicated price.

Carrefour is seeking offers for its units in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore and Tesco is among the possible buyers, people familiar with the matter said last week. The combined operations could fetch $800 million to $1 billion, a valuation that would be too high for any bidder, said RBS analyst Justin Scarborough.

"If Tesco keeps putting money into their strong markets, and Thailand is clearly one, then that would be grand,'' said Phil Doel, an investment manager at F&C Asset Management in London, whose funds hold about one percent of Tesco shares.

"It depends on price and the return they can get.''

Tesco generates about one-third of its sales outside the UK, where growth is slowing amid heightened competition and easing inflation. Asia accounts for about 15% of the retailer's revenue and is its fastest-growing division by earnings, which rose by 24% last year. Tesco plans to add 460,000 square metres of new store space in the region this year.

bangkokpost.com

It will be a sad day for Carefour to go away.
Many of their name branded products are quite good and reasonably priced.
I doubt Tesco will be carrying Camembert and they certainly couldn't bake a proper baguette to save their lives.

In Udon carryfoo do absolute shite job, same products as lotus next door to to them, crap vegetables and their bakery is worse than Lotus, they deserve to fold.

Yes, Carrefour is much better in locations with large farang populations. The one in Pattaya is fantastic. The best one in Bangkok is on Rama 4. The Ratchadapisek and Ladprao branches are not bad. This inventory focusing is also true of Lotus and Big C.

The one in Pattaya is probably the best in Thailand with the one in Rama 4

i dont think it has got much to do with the stores serving large farang populations, but more to do with who is in competition next door.

tesco and carrefour are neighbours on rama 4 and both need to put some effort into their operations, raise their standards of both stock and customer care above the usual thai norm getting away with the least possible effort.

a store with no immediate competion becomes lazy, like tesco in hua hin. its a bit of a dump really. poorly stocked and overpriced with checkout girls who are well trained in pouting but poorly trained in engaging with customers.

Originally Posted by Mr Earl

I doubt Tesco will be carrying Camembert and they certainly couldn't bake a proper baguette to save their lives.

well the baguette sold by Carrefour can hardly be called proper either , to get one you have to cross the border to Laos or Cambo (I wonder is it so difficult to get a Thai visa for a Lao/Khmer baker ?)

Originally Posted by taxexile

a store with no immediate competion becomes lazy, like tesco in hua hin. its a bit of a dump really. poorly stocked and overpriced with checkout girls who are well trained in pouting but poorly trained in engaging with customers.

Come on taxexile - you have the hump today? What do you want them to do? Smiley cheery eyed? It's a robotic job they have.

At least we get a chance to have an oggle while they 'bag'! Many of the girls in Bangkok are quite alright - don't know about Hua Hin..

Originally Posted by taxexile

dont think it has got much to do with the stores serving large farang populations, but more to do with who is in competition next door.

It is always about the customer profile. Every retailer tweaks their assortments by a range of factors. They also take into account the strengths and weaknesses of their competition.

Berli Jucker keen to bid for Carrefour
21/07/2010

Berli Jucker Plc is looking to bid for Carrefour's Thailand operations to help support its consumer products supply chain, according to BJC president Aswin Techajareonvikul.

BJC, 70% owned by Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi's TCC Holding, has expanded rapidly in recent years through mergers and acquisitions.

The company operates five core businesses: industrial supply chain, consumer goods, healthcare, technical services and international businesses.

"We are considering the [Carrefour] bid. It would certainly fit in with one of our current businesses, the consumer supply chain. Retailing is part of that supply chain,'' said Mr Aswin.

"Right now, we have a presence in the upstream side, such as potato farms for our potato chips or cold storage facilities. But what we lack is downstream, namely a distribution channel to consumers.''

BJC, one of the country's oldest firms at 128 years, produces and distributes thousands of products, including Tasto chips, Cellox facial tissues and Dozo and Campus snacks.

bangkokpost.com

Originally Posted by Humbert

The company operates five core businesses: industrial supply chain, consumer goods, healthcare, technical services and international businesses.

Without knowledge and experience in the retail industry they would be doomed to failure. Let's hope a retailer picks up Carrefours operations.

Why would a food producing company the size of BJC "one of the oldest firms - 128 years" be doomed to failure in their own country (a country which works on inter-chinese-business-family connections)? I tell you who is doomed to failure - it's the foreign companies that come in here without a strong Thai-Chin partner.

^ because a manufacturing co, seeking to secure a position further up the supply chain rarely works, it doesn't really pay to turn your customers into competitors.

Originally Posted by Tom Sawyer

Why would a food producing company the size of BJC "one of the oldest firms - 128 years" be doomed to failure in their own country (a country which works on inter-chinese-business-family connections)? I tell you who is doomed to failure - it's the foreign companies that come in here without a strong Thai-Chin partner.

Because they know nothing about retailing. It has never worked. Remember Campeau?

God help the land of smiles if WalMart comes. It will be the end of the small to medium size Thai run stores.

Originally Posted by taxexile

like tesco in hua hin. its a bit of a dump really. poorly stocked and overpriced with checkout girls who are well trained in pouting but poorly trained in engaging with customers.

The only exception to that in Bangkok is Foodland.

PTT looks to buy Carrefour
20/08/2010

PTT Plc, the country’s largest oil conglomerate, is looking into the possibility of buying out Carrefour (Thailand) to further expand its retail operations, reports said, citing an informed source at the PTT.

The reports said PTT CEO and president Prasert Bunsumpun had ordered such a study after several companies had approached PTT about a joint buyout of the giant foreign retailer's Thailand subsidiary.

PTT will study the possibility of buying the retail firm itself, or joining with business partners in a takeover, according to the source.

However, PTT has no plan to join forces with 7-Eleven, which is its business partner in operating retail outlets at PTT fuel pumps. PTT wants to strengthen and expand its retail business by itself.

The source said the takeover of Jiffy had not really helped strengthen PTT’s retail operation as expected.

“PTT thinks the retail business is not just selling fuel. The business of retail shops at fuel outlets is also important.

"However, oil and gas will continue to be the core business of PTT,” the source was quoted as saying.

bangkokpost.com

^ I hope it doesn't happen. PTT is rife with bueaucracy and cronyism. Retailers need to be nimble and react quickly to conditions and opportunites.

I've heard Netto is taking over

You can shop all day
You can shop all night
All you get is a bag of shite

Thai PTT bids for Carrefour Thai assets
Luisa Cheshire
08 September 2010

Thai energy firm PTT has put in a bid to buy the Thai operations of French retailer Carrefour SA

Thai energy firm Thai PTT today put in a bid to buy the Thai operations of French retailer Carrefour SA, which analysts expect to fetch US$600m, reports Reuters.

PTT is participating through its retail subsidiary, PTT Retail Marketing Co Ltd, which runs Jiffy convenience stores at its gas stations.

"We have already submitted a bid for the first round. We are waiting for the next round," PTT chief executive Prasert Bunsumpun told reporters.

The move is part of a plan to expand PTT's retail business, Mr Prasert said.

"If we got Carrefour's assets, it would make our retail business bigger and our bargaining power will rise," he said.

PTT could seek partners to join forces in the retail business if the Carrefour bid succeeded, Mr Prasert added.

Thai PTT joins an increasingly crowded race: at least four retailers from Europe and Asia have put in first-round bids.

Carrefour, the world's second largest retailer, wants to sell its stores in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand at a potential price of US$1bn to focus on growing markets such as India and China.

fruitnet.com

The French group, like many other retailers in Europe and the United States, has been struggling due to challenging economic conditions.

Ah diddums, poor Carrefour.

FUCK OFF AND GOOD RIDDANCE.