Carrefour Sells Thai Business To Big C

[Pib]

Sure hope Big C don't change the Carrefour product selections too much. Over here in western Bangkok I go to the Carrefour in Bang Yai all the time...went yesterday. Much, much better selection of products than Big C or Lotus. The place is always packed...about 99.9% Thai and 0.1% farang....lot less farangs running around over here versus central, highrise Bangkok.

[BigSkip]

I am here in Chonburi, "Big Crap" quality and freshness is far below Carrefour standards, sometimes the meat dept. stinks so bad i don't even want to walk near it let alone buying anything for consumption. A sad day.

[bartender100]

I had hoped Sainsbury might have been interested as they are planning on entering the Asian market, would have brought something different to the market.

"UK retailer Sainsbury’s is considering whether to follow its strong domestic performance with an expansion to new overseas regions. A team is currently weighing opportunities for the company in China, India and beyond."

http://fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=11-2010&day=15&id=39204&l=e&country=0&special=0&ndb=1&df=0

They could have picked up a very decent foothold reasonably cheaply

[Skywalker69]

That's depresing news because Carrefour will soon become more Big Crap locations selling low quality junk with limited varieties of non Thai food products. My guess is that business will drop because Big C doesn't have much of a clue what the farang customers want. It will be a downward spiral from here for the Carrefour locations.

100% agree!!!

[Pib]

So it means that some places will have 2 Big C in the future ?

Could be unless Big C bought rights to continue the use of Carrefour's name, which might be smart. If KFC sold out in Thailand I expect the new owner would see a lot less business unless he also bought rights to the name and continued use of KFC products....without the KFC name it would just be another Thai place selling chicken of questionable quality. Product/Business name recognition carries a lot of weight, but in this case Big C already has big name recognition in Thailand. Maybe the Carrefour stores will be considered/renamed to some type of high end Big C store.

[lockman]

What a great shame.

Big C aren't a patch on Carrefour for foreign customers. Let's watch the variety and quality go downhill.

Yep, agree with that. Big C is the same stuff everywhere. When Carrefour opened in Udon I was well pleased. but every visit after that..foreign goods were less, 1st it's ordered, then something different..cheaper and not at all similar. Wrote to the management, that was a total waste. Tops will be very pleased.

[haveaniceday]

My local Carrefour has an impressive Farang section, I have to drive for 2 hours to come anywhere close, also the Thai section, Even though Big C and Tesco are closer, the Thai family bypass them to shop at Carrefour. The meat section craps all over Big C.

Will Just mean a monthly visit to Villa and blow 15k.

Also the White Goods and stuff are better brands and they have some great discounts to clear stock.

Oh Well, Can't really blame them for bailing out of Thailand and investing into India.

Edited November 15, 2010 by haveaniceday

[SomTumTiger]

Sorry to see them go - the were the best of a bad lot.

[xitroen]

TRAGIC? hardly...

8000 staff who know nothing more than to follow you around and look away when u ask for assistance...even in the native tongue.

all those stores are garbage merchants.

id rather bake my own bread and avoid the sufferation of all the tat!

kthxbye

ef

oh wow....foreign junk...woo etc

This is the real reason why Carrefur leves Thailand : impossible to ask the employees to work... Carrefous is fed up with people who want a salary but do not work....

[scotsdude]

That's depresing news because Carrefour will soon become more Big Crap locations selling low quality junk with limited varieties of non Thai food products. My guess is that business will drop because Big C doesn't have much of a clue what the farang customers want. It will be a downward spiral from here for the Carrefour locations.

At least in Pattaya we will still have Friendship Supermarket open until 02.30 everyday with good assortment of farang food. Great cheese selection, breads, meats fresh vegies and much more. Do most of my shopping there.

hi

where is friendship supermarket? Is that the one across from Big C on Pattaya Nua?

[morejunk]

That's depresing news because Carrefour will soon become more Big Crap locations selling low quality junk with limited varieties of non Thai food products. My guess is that business will drop because Big C doesn't have much of a clue what the farang customers want. It will be a downward spiral from here for the Carrefour locations.

At least in Pattaya we will still have Friendship Supermarket open until 02.30 everyday with good assortment of farang food. Great cheese selection, breads, meats fresh vegies and much more. Do most of my shopping there.

hi

where is friendship supermarket? Is that the one across from Big C on Pattaya Nua?

Friendship as a good alternative to Carrefour? Great selections? It is obvious that it doesn't take much to satisfy some people. The frozen food, deli and dairy sections in Carrefour are almost as big as the entire Friendship store on Pattaya SOUTH Road! Freindship and Foodland have limited variety at best, because they are SO SMALL and are usually more expensive. Villa is also small and outrageously expensive! Big loss for Pattaya!

[jayjay0]

What a great shame.

Big C aren't a patch on Carrefour for foreign customers. Let's watch the variety and quality go downhill.

Well you may be right or you may be wrong. really don't know. It seems most posters think Carefour is in only Farong areas. not so. As to the quality in the Thai areas I can not say.

But the one thing people seem to be over looking is that a lot of the staff will be the same position and possibly have a voice in what is sold in the Farong areas. JMO

[geriatrickid]

I'm not going to jump on the doom & gloom express train, just yet. If Carrefour sold it was because they were not making money, which means that had a buyer not been found, Carrefour could simply have shut down and walked away. It has happened before. At least with Big C there is hope. I have only been in one Big C and it had what I needed. If a Cerrefour store was making money in a particular area, I don't think Big C will tinker too much with the product mix. Rather, there may be a new economy of scale and the supply chain may be reinforced. It will certainly cut costs on the distribution side of things. Although, I anticipate the most unprofitable locations will soon be closed, the Big C transaction might just keep an affordable supermarket option in some communities. Give it a chance, as the other options aren't there.

[bangon04]

Never mind about all you people in other Carre Four locations, I do not patronize them, because I do not live there.

The Pattaya location is hard to beat. So much so that from experience it beats the Four Corner Store on the Hiway outside Paris, France.

Surely the owners of FOODLAND Pattaya are rubbing their grubby fat fingers because it was through Carre Four down the road in Pattaya that they had to come down in their prices, so now the good old times are back on the horizon of driving up the prices, while Tesco will up the numbers on the prizing dartboard the one the staff throws darts at to set prices of products the proof of the pudding, seeing price variations of 50-60% from one week to the next.

Will end with TIT

It is true that BigC did offer an alternative to the dreadful pricegouging that Foodland, and notoriously Villa get away with. It gave a choice to many. Tesco should hopefully see this as a chance to increase their world domination and start a new price war. In other countries the presence of a Tesco on the opposite corner of the street is enough to keep shop prices in line. The more competition, the better.

The BigC store in Ratchaprasong has been their flagship store for the last 6 months. Time to get the tills ringing again.

[nong38]

In France I thought Carrefour expensive and not somewhere I would head for, Casino were much better, I think Carrefour got a good price. It is strange how such successful european companies like Casino and Tesco somehow lose the plot as soon as they get to Thailand, there is much room for improvement on quality and price for the Thais let alone the tourist trade which appears not to be on the horizon, they must be very happy with their busines plan and no need to make more profit, top business folk then.

[bkkbrad]

That's depresing news because Carrefour will soon become more Big Crap locations selling low quality junk with limited varieties of non Thai food products. My guess is that business will drop because Big C doesn't have much of a clue what the farang customers want. It will be a downward spiral from here for the Carrefour locations.

When in Rome!!!

Why should they pander to farang tastes in foods???...Probably less than 1% of their custom is farang...You are in Thailand...eat Thai food !!

[RHCP]

Sad also to see Carrefour go as they offered something different and not at Villa rip off prices. I shall especially miss their bread bakery section as no one makes bread here as good as them at reasonable prices. Of all the options of purchasers, Big C would have been my last choice. We have only ever shopped once at one of their stores and left greatly unimpressed.

[AloisAmrein]

Carrefour is closing down business in more and more counties, also in Europe. They closed in Switzerland and Portugal already some years ago. I was working for the advertising department of Carrefour. Something seems to be wrong with the worldwide market strategy of Carrefour. They also fired the old CEO 2 years ago but it seems to be without effect.

[greatjp]

That's depresing news because Carrefour will soon become more Big Crap locations selling low quality junk with limited varieties of non Thai food products. My guess is that business will drop because Big C doesn't have much of a clue what the farang customers want. It will be a downward spiral from here for the Carrefour locations.

I agree with you, the worst scenario happened

[BoonToong]

Glad it went to Carrefour rather than Fiasco Lotus

[sprq]

Divestment of operations, as the news report puts it, means to me that Carrefour will disappear and become Big C -- as simple as that.

That means no more Carrefour brand olive oil, wine vinegar, couscous, pastis, chocolate, cheese, biscuits and several other things that are now much cheaper than the name brand equivalents at ANY Thai supermarket, including downmarket Big C and Tesco, let alone Villa.

In other words, for those who like French foods and don't like paying exorbitantly for them, it's very bad news.

As for Villa: the pricing is not necessarily higher than other supermarkets for many goods, and some cheeses are cheaper than anywhere else, e.g. some Camembert brands.

[Pib]

Never mind about all you people in other Carre Four locations, I do not patronize them, because I do not live there.

The Pattaya location is hard to beat. So much so that from experience it beats the Four Corner Store on the Hiway outside Paris, France.

Surely the owners of FOODLAND Pattaya are rubbing their grubby fat fingers because it was through Carre Four down the road in Pattaya that they had to come down in their prices, so now the good old times are back on the horizon of driving up the prices, while Tesco will up the numbers on the prizing dartboard the one the staff throws darts at to set prices of products the proof of the pudding, seeing price variations of 50-60% from one week to the next.

Will end with TIT

It is true that BigC did offer an alternative to the dreadful pricegouging that Foodland, and notoriously Villa get away with. It gave a choice to many. Tesco should hopefully see this as a chance to increase their world domination and start a new price war. In other countries the presence of a Tesco on the opposite corner of the street is enough to keep shop prices in line. The more competition, the better.

The BigC store in Ratchaprasong has been their flagship store for the last 6 months. Time to get the tills ringing again.

Based on my shopping here in western Bangkok the Villa is definitely the most expensive for most food products...I visit them only for certain hard to find products that I gotta have...thankfully (pocketbook wise) they get very little of my business. I buy most of my meats (beef-type) from Foodland...mostly their PenFeed meats which are good quality, pretty tender, and reasonably priced. Most of everything else food-wise comes from the local market, Lotus, Carrefour, Big C, etc.

Edited November 15, 2010 by Pib

[henryalleman]

Never mind about all you people in other Carre Four locations, I do not patronize them, because I do not live there.

The Pattaya location is hard to beat. So much so that from experience it beats the Four Corner Store on the Hiway outside Paris, France.

Surely the owners of FOODLAND Pattaya are rubbing their grubby fat fingers because it was through Carre Four down the road in Pattaya that they had to come down in their prices, so now the good old times are back on the horizon of driving up the prices, while Tesco will up the numbers on the prizing dartboard the one the staff throws darts at to set prices of products the proof of the pudding, seeing price variations of 50-60% from one week to the next.

Will end with TIT

It is true that BigC did offer an alternative to the dreadful pricegouging that Foodland, and notoriously Villa get away with. It gave a choice to many. Tesco should hopefully see this as a chance to increase their world domination and start a new price war. In other countries the presence of a Tesco on the opposite corner of the street is enough to keep shop prices in line. The more competition, the better.

The BigC store in Ratchaprasong has been their flagship store for the last 6 months. Time to get the tills ringing again.

Based on my shopping here in western Bangkok the Villa is definitely the most expensive for most food products...I visit them only for certain hard to find products that I gotta have...thankfully (pocketbook wise) they get very little of my business. I buy most of my meats (beef-type) from Foodland...mostly their PenFeed meats which are good quality, pretty tender, and reasonably priced. Most of everything else food-wise comes from the local market, Lotus, Carrefour, Big C, etc.

If you like to buy good meat you go to Tops and buy Thai/French (a breed between French and Thai cows)meat its superb.

[Beetlejuice]

Maybe it's different in Pattaya but the Big C near me is better than the Carrefour near me

In my opinion these big conglomerates are all the same, probably all owned by the same groups if you delve in deep enough. The only differences are the labels. Little dissimilarity whoever is running the show.

The main business is aimed at the Thai public; farang cleintel is hardly significant to them. They do stock foreign foods but for the introduction to their Thai customers not for the benefit or the tastes of farangs. If all their farang customers living in Thailand ceased shopping at the Thailand branches it would have no impact on them, whatsoever.

Personally I hope these companies never gain a main stronghold in the far east, dictating the prices and eliminating all the competition similar to how they have operated in the west.

Edited November 15, 2010 by Beetlejuice

[toenail]

Carefour in Pattaya definately has the best deli, produce, meat/fish section compated to Big C or Tesco. The electronics and kitchen appliances was above the norm also. For me, it was a nice change to go there (with all the other shops and restaurants in the building) than Big C I don't like Villa Market or Tops at Central for groceries. .

[siampolee]

I don't really understand the fuss being made over this deal. If the local market catchment areas is capable of supporting a specialised market niche no doubt the store will carry on with the product lines that sell well and are profitable.

Management expertise will no doubt play a part in the decisions and if the store stops stocking and selling a line of products rest assured another outlet will no doubt step in and fill the gap. That outlet may well be a small business operation who is willing to cater to the selective specialised consumer with prices to match.

Being somewhat selfish we have always found Foodland reasonable in its pricing and indeed superb in its service, my wife will not shop elsewhere since I introduced her to Foodland some 7 years ago, we found that Lotus Tesco was not able to supply that we wanted, often the imported products were indeed overpriced and limited in range and in many cases not the brand leaders in their country of origin either.

When I came here some twenty years since, it was local produce like it or leave it, If we visit the U.K. we are able to buy Thai products and indeed dine on Thai food too.

Guess what though ?

There is a premium price to pay just the same in the U.K as there is here in Thailand. You want something you will pay for it you, the consumer controls the cash not the supplier.

If it's too expensive in your eyes find a substitute or adapt to the local lifestyle. Deli style outlets are not cheap anywhere so we don't really have a gripe about price or supply , if problems are bad you form a buying group and dispatch trustworthy members to the metropolis and its Mecca of foreign food shops on a buying expedition.

Not difficult, all you need as an individual is a shopping list, combine all the lists with all the other individuals and you may well find you could buy wholesale or possibly negotiate a discount for a monthly bulk purchase. I well remember such events from my life in the U.K. and trips across the English Channel to the French hypermarkets to satisfy our cravings for exotic ( or so we thought ) food and litres of cheap plonk.

Where there is a will there is a way.

Remember we actually choose to live here in Thailand in the majority of cases

[jackr]

That's depresing news because Carrefour will soon become more Big Crap locations selling low quality junk with limited varieties of non Thai food products. My guess is that business will drop because Big C doesn't have much of a clue what the farang customers want. It will be a downward spiral from here for the Carrefour locations.

They're buying the business and not simply shops to throw a C on - that'd be totally counter-productive - so the same products should be maintained, although it would be a bit naff if they made it into a Big C/Tesco. I agree that Big C is about bottom of the barrel though and is loaded with junk. It tends to cater to those folks on a day's outing - the type with the 'deer in the headlights' look that find it hard to not walk into things . On Carrefour being aimed at the farang market; that's balderdash. It is aimed at the middle-class of Thai and comes with some farang items that they might like. The farang-centric ones are the likes of Rimping/Tops Chiang Mai, and Villa and others elsewhere.

[selftaopath]

What a great shame.

Big C aren't a patch on Carrefour for foreign customers. Let's watch the variety and quality go downhill.

Where's Wal Mart in all this? I wonder what keeps them out of Lack of Sanctions (LOS)?

[whybother]

That's depresing news because Carrefour will soon become more Big Crap locations selling low quality junk with limited varieties of non Thai food products. My guess is that business will drop because Big C doesn't have much of a clue what the farang customers want. It will be a downward spiral from here for the Carrefour locations.

They're buying the business and not simply shops to throw a C on - that'd be totally counter-productive - so the same products should be maintained, although it would be a bit naff if they made it into a Big C/Tesco. I agree that Big C is about bottom of the barrel though and is loaded with junk. It tends to cater to those folks on a day's outing - the type with the 'deer in the headlights' look that find it hard to not walk into things . On Carrefour being aimed at the farang market; that's balderdash. It is aimed at the middle-class of Thai and comes with some farang items that they might like. The farang-centric ones are the likes of Rimping/Tops Chiang Mai, and Villa and others elsewhere.

"so the same products should be maintained"

I'm pretty sure they won't be stocking Carrefour branded products.

[personchester]

That's depresing news because Carrefour will soon become more Big Crap locations selling low quality junk with limited varieties of non Thai food products. My guess is that business will drop because Big C doesn't have much of a clue what the farang customers want. It will be a downward spiral from here for the Carrefour locations.

This is Thailand here ,the farang community is small ,its normal to find Thai products ... in Europe you dont find so much Thai products in Carrefour France for example . For farang stuff there is still Villa market or Central chidlom . Carrefour was selling farang stuff in few outlets only ,rama4, lad phrao, the one in Rangsit doesnt have any farang product.

The reason for this is that many European cities have the so called "china towns" with 100 pc Asian food (including a lot of Thai food) all those shops in the areas are owned and run by Asian people, therefore supermarkets are not interested in selling those foods because it would be difficult to compete with their local china towns.

Thailand (and Asia as a whole) has no "euro towns'" that are comparable with western "china towns" thus we farangs depend on Carrefour (and a little on Tesco) to find foods based on western cuisine, if Carrefour goes, then most of our food goes, a negative outlook indeed, perhaps with a bit of luck "Harrods" from Knightsbridge, London (now under new ownership) might come to Thailand and opens a few branches ...what !!