Carrefour Stores Change Name To Big C Extra

[webfact]

Carrefour Stores Change Name to Big C Extra

Retail business operators reveal customer spending is higher this year as the new school semester and the election are approaching.

Meanwhile, as the competition gets more intense, retailers are planning unique marketing strategies in order to attract more customers.

Director of Market Strategy for Big C Public Company, Worawan Pienlikitwong, stated that customers are spending vigorously during the second quarter compared to last year as the first semester of new school year is approaching.

Sales on school uniforms and other related school supplies have doubled.

Also, the election atmosphere has caused money to flow in the system at a rate higher than normal.

Despite this, retail business operators have expressed concerns regarding higher costs, especially for oil-related products, which have caused the retail prices of many products, like pork and fresh chicken to increase.

However, business operators continue to adhere to the policies issued by the Internal Trade Department requiring them to maintain retail prices for certain basic products in order to ease the overall living situation.

Worawan added that Big C is in the process of changing logo and sign from Carrefour to Big C Extra now that it has taken over Carrefour stores, starting with the Lardprao branch.

The company plans to have all 42 Carrefour branches change their name to Big C Extra by the middle of this year.

Also, the company has plans to hold an official press conference during the next two weeks to provide more information about its new business plans and strategy.

The Big C Extra model originated in Brazil, where the Big C brands and other companies’ brands are both sold and promoted together at the stores.

The company is running a campaign for May under the title “Golden Campaign”.

Golden Campaign is based on the movie hit Pirates of the Caribbean.

Customers who spend at least 400 baht will be eligible to enter the grand prize game.

The campaign will be available at all 105 branches nationwide and is running between May 13 and May 29.

The company expects to generate total sales of at least 450 million baht under this campaign.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-13

[thaikahuna]

Big C is still Big C regardless of the name on the building. The selections are already changing and shows no signs of letting up. I want my CA FOO! Time to shop at Villa and Foodland I suppose.

[bobbin]

Big C is still Big C regardless of the name on the building. The selections are already changing and shows no signs of letting up. I want my CA FOO! Time to shop at Villa and Foodland I suppose.

Maybe so, but I was in the Pattaya Carrefour/Big C Extra store last week, and many of the cheese and butter products are/have been replaced by French products branded Casino. Which I believe is the parent company of Big C. Same same but different!

[lothda]

Carrefour Rama IV has some selections that seem to be unique to that branch, namely the excellent BMS Food. I would hate to see that go

[jimbeam1]

Ah, was at Carrefour On-Nut last week. Saw directional signs in the car park showing the BigC logo. Now it is all clear.

Worawan Pien-lik-it-wong. Stated that customers are spending vigerously:

Sales on school uniforms and other related school supplies have DOUBLED??

Also the election atmosphere has caused money to flow in the system at an higher rate than normal?

Despite this, retail buisness operators have expressed concern, regarding higher costs. Especially for Oil related products such as Pork and Chicken? I don't know but I assume he is talking about transportation. If so who do all of their other products, make their way to the shelves? Me thinks paving the way for more price hikes. Eggs are an all time high, so why not Chickens and throw Pork in for good measure.

jb1

[janverbeem]

I saw currently Carrefour Big C has grilled pigeons on sale every day at 119 Baht.This is quite exlusive for Thailand.They still haven't created the new sticker yet yet so for the time being they call them grilled chicken.

[Theo007]

Good that someone can still afford to shop at Villaaaa!

[Aforek]

Big C is still Big C regardless of the name on the building. The selections are already changing and shows no signs of letting up. I want my CA FOO! Time to shop at Villa and Foodland I suppose.

Maybe so, but I was in the Pattaya Carrefour/Big C Extra store last week, and many of the cheese and butter products are/have been replaced by French products branded Casino. Which I believe is the parent company of Big C. Same same but different!

i think you will still find French products in Big C, because Big C is a subsidiary of Groupe Casino, which is a very important group in France and is present in 10 countries ( 11600 stores and 200000 employees ): they bought Carrefour thailand for 860 millions euros

Edited May 13, 2011 by Molamka

[YellowFeverCAD]

Good that someone can still afford to shop at Villaaaa!

There's a myth still being passed on I see.

Villa is very reasonable compared to any other store if you are comparing apples and oranges of course.

Have shopped there almost from day one in Thailand and was thrilled when the next Pure Place branch opened.

[bangkokeddy]

... retail business operators have expressed concerns regarding higher costs, especially for oil-related products, which have caused the retail prices of many products, like pork and fresh chicken to increase.

Why does higher cost for oil-related products increase the price for pork and fresh chicken?

(And what about not so fresh chicken or how fresh is the pork?)

And how to pronounce 'Big C Extra' in Thai? "Big C Xssss" or "Big C XTRAHH"

Did you know that...

- it is almost family safe to do a google image search on BIG C EXTRA without using any filters. Meanwhile a SafeSearch off image search for BIG EXTRA is not recommended if you at work or the kids are in the room.

[ginjag]

Good that someone can still afford to shop at Villaaaa!

There's a myth still being passed on I see.

Villa is very reasonable compared to any other store if you are comparing apples and oranges of course.

Have shopped there almost from day one in Thailand and was thrilled when the next Pure Place branch opened.

Tesco for me, simple -potatoes 33 per kilo...Big C 78 per kilo. Chicken and pork at Big C has increased 40% in the last 6 months....must be global warming,, or the.. Cambodia prob...Oh I forgot it's low season...oh no they are trying to get the money back that they paid out for the up market company. Me I would have kept the Carrefour name and got rid of the Big C name.

[laurentbkk]

Big C is still Big C regardless of the name on the building. The selections are already changing and shows no signs of letting up. I want my CA FOO! Time to shop at Villa and Foodland I suppose.

Maybe so, but I was in the Pattaya Carrefour/Big C Extra store last week, and many of the cheese and butter products are/have been replaced by French products branded Casino. Which I believe is the parent company of Big C. Same same but different!

Groupe CASINO owns Big C ,its a huge retail company in France and usually not bad quality compare with some other brand names. The product under Casino will be equal to those offered from Carrefour as usually it comes from the same producers.

[powderpuff]

Lime green & orange. You need to wear sunglasses to go in the store.

[kathukid]

Carre Four it... they have been accepting Big C bonus cards and discount tickets at Jungceylon for a number of weeks...... They say at Jungceylon they will continue to carry Frangset products.......Thai girls love Frangset products... etc

[Route21]

Dash! I was expecting them to rename the new stores "C4" with the slogan: "Get more bang for your Buck!".

R21

Edited May 14, 2011 by Route21

[elektrified]

Big C is still Big C regardless of the name on the building. The selections are already changing and shows no signs of letting up. I want my CA FOO! Time to shop at Villa and Foodland I suppose.

Maybe so, but I was in the Pattaya Carrefour/Big C Extra store last week, and many of the cheese and butter products are/have been replaced by French products branded Casino. Which I believe is the parent company of Big C. Same same but different!

I went to Big C in Chiang Mai about a week ago after not having been there for about 6 months and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The changes were obvious. It appears that many quality, imported items are now available in Big C. The big joke now is Tesco Lotus. I was in there the other night late and was not able to purchase any fresh produce because the quality was so poor (some of the vegetables were rotting) and the prices were so high.

[canuckamuck]

Big Cextra!

catchy brand name

[elektrified]

"Also, the election atmosphere has caused money to flow in the system at a rate higher than normal."

I fail to see the connection.

[jfchandler]

Good that someone can still afford to shop at Villaaaa!

There's a myth still being passed on I see.

Villa is very reasonable compared to any other store if you are comparing apples and oranges of course.

Have shopped there almost from day one in Thailand and was thrilled when the next Pure Place branch opened.

I guess it depends on one's definition of "reasonable."

I like Villa, and I shop there regularly, and often for things that aren't available at any of the other stores.... So in that respect, they're reasonable....

But, in terms of actual pricing for same items compared with Foodland and even Tops in many cases, they're more expensive, often just a few baht per item.... on many if not most things, and across a wide range of food and non food items...

Tesco is a bit of a mixed bag.... They're cheaper on meat and produce, though their produce usually seems to be of inferior quality compared to Foodland, Villa and Tops.... They also have good prices on a lot of household non-food items like paper products and laundry and dish washing soaps.... But for a lot of canned or bottled food items, their prices are the same or sometimes even a bit higher than Foodland.

The more I shop, the more I find myself relying on Foodland for the majority of my household needs, and then supplementing them with selected items from Tops, Villa and Tesco where I know that particular store has either the product I want or regularly the better pricing on something.

It's a bit of a bummer, and says something about Thai retailing, that I can't manage to get most of the things I want at one or two stores...but instead have to go cherry picking from place to place...either for pricing....quality....or selection.

[laolover]

Big C is still Big C regardless of the name on the building. The selections are already changing and shows no signs of letting up. I want my CA FOO! Time to shop at Villa and Foodland I suppose.

Maybe so, but I was in the Pattaya Carrefour/Big C Extra store last week, and many of the cheese and butter products are/have been replaced by French products branded Casino. Which I believe is the parent company of Big C. Same same but different!

Groupe CASINO owns Big C ,its a huge retail company in France and usually not bad quality compare with some other brand names. The product under Casino will be equal to those offered from Carrefour as usually it comes from the same producers.

[Markaew]

Big C is still Big C regardless of the name on the building. The selections are already changing and shows no signs of letting up. I want my CA FOO! Time to shop at Villa and Foodland I suppose.

Maybe so, but I was in the Pattaya Carrefour/Big C Extra store last week, and many of the cheese and butter products are/have been replaced by French products branded Casino. Which I believe is the parent company of Big C. Same same but different!

I went to Big C in Chiang Mai about a week ago after not having been there for about 6 months and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The changes were obvious. It appears that many quality, imported items are now available in Big C. The big joke now is Tesco Lotus. I was in there the other night late and was not able to purchase any fresh produce because the quality was so poor (some of the vegetables were rotting) and the prices were so high.

I noticed the Tesco changes as well. Selection is down and so is quality.

In my experience with Big C, I have found their target customer is the average Thai trying to save money. Very limited in imports and lots of Thai made products that don't last 3 months. Generally a bit lower class than Carre Four including the employees with attitudes to match. When I go to Big C the employees look at me like: Why are you here?

Edited May 14, 2011 by Markaew

[laolover]

Edited May 14, 2011 by laolover

[bangkokeddy]

Big Cextra!

catchy brand name

Indeed.

[laolover]

Big C is still Big C regardless of the name on the building. The selections are already changing and shows no signs of letting up. I want my CA FOO! Time to shop at Villa and Foodland I suppose.

Maybe so, but I was in the Pattaya Carrefour/Big C Extra store last week, and many of the cheese and butter products are/have been replaced by French products branded Casino. Which I believe is the parent company of Big C. Same same but different!

I went to Big C in Chiang Mai about a week ago after not having been there for about 6 months and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The changes were obvious. It appears that many quality, imported items are now available in Big C. The big joke now is Tesco Lotus. I was in there the other night late and was not able to purchase any fresh produce because the quality was so poor (some of the vegetables were rotting) and the prices were so high.

Well its all central department store (central Group) no matter how you shake it up. I was so disgusted at the lack of fresh organic produce at the Laad Prao branch of CF last week that I complained to store managers and left with out purchasing anything...Monopolies in Thailand are seriously getting out of hand. Is it any wonder the prices on nearly all consumer goods are steadily increasing? For thos of you who may not have known the history of Big C here is info.

Big C, or Big C Supercenter (Thai: บิ๊กซี ซูเปอร์เซ็นเตอร์), is a grocery and general merchandising retailer headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. It's the first hypermarket chain in Thailand, managed under the umbrella of Groupe Casino. It has operation in 3 countries, such as Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.

The company was founded by Central Group in 1993 and opened its first store in Wong Sawang intersection, Bangkok, under brand of Central Superstore, a Central Department Store subsidiary. It is listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET code: BIGC) in 1995.

AND FOR THOSE not aware of central group:The Central Group of Companies (Thai: เครือเซ็นทรัล) is a family-owned conglomerate holding company in Thailand that is involved in retailing, real estate, hotels and restaurants. Among its subsidiaries is Central Pattana, which is the largest developer and operator of shopping centers in Thailand and the Central Retail Corporation,

The Kings Foundation stores are a good alternative for some shopping needs, cheaper and no chemical products.

I suspect it may only be a matter of time before Foodland and Villa will be under the central group umbrella.

Happy shopping!

[featography]

Dash! I was expecting them to rename the new stores "C4" with the slogan: "Get more bang for your Buck!".

R21

Good one Route!

If they had, I would cut up my Tesco card and shop at C4 exclusively.

[featography]

Good that someone can still afford to shop at Villaaaa!

There's a myth still being passed on I see.

Villa is very reasonable compared to any other store if you are comparing apples and oranges of course.

Have shopped there almost from day one in Thailand and was thrilled when the next Pure Place branch opened.

I guess it depends on one's definition of "reasonable."

I like Villa, and I shop there regularly, and often for things that aren't available at any of the other stores.... So in that respect, they're reasonable....

But, in terms of actual pricing for same items compared with Foodland and even Tops in many cases, they're more expensive, often just a few baht per item.... on many if not most things, and across a wide range of food and non food items...

Tesco is a bit of a mixed bag.... They're cheaper on meat and produce, though their produce usually seems to be of inferior quality compared to Foodland, Villa and Tops.... They also have good prices on a lot of household non-food items like paper products and laundry and dish washing soaps.... But for a lot of canned or bottled food items, their prices are the same or sometimes even a bit higher than Foodland.

The more I shop, the more I find myself relying on Foodland for the majority of my household needs, and then supplementing them with selected items from Tops, Villa and Tesco where I know that particular store has either the product I want or regularly the better pricing on something.

It's a bit of a bummer, and says something about Thai retailing, that I can't manage to get most of the things I want at one or two stores...but instead have to go cherry picking from place to place...either for pricing....quality....or selection.

There's 3 kinds of shoppers. Type 1, the largest group, will take their flyers, sales ads put out by the markets, go to get the savings, and once inside the market, will buy other items, which are at regular price, and in some cases marked up to compensate for the on sale items. Retailers know this flaw in shoppers. Bait them in, and they will spend more. It is profitable.

Type 2 shopper, more self disciplined, will go in with sales ads, and buy only the sales items they need. The problem with this group is, they will go to 2, 3 or more large markets buying the on sale items they need, which defeats the purpose due to the fuel expended, or public transportation money spent going to each market. Not to mention the old adage "time is money", how much is the shoppers time worth to them?

Type 3 shopper, the smallest group, don't look at saving on the individual item prices, but look at volume. One trip shopping for a month or more, saves in itself on time and fuel.

Using myself for an example; I live in a city where the main industries are sea and fresh water fish, chicken, and pork. Beef is scarce here, in limited quantity, and cuts in Big C, Tesco, and all other markets around here. I do like to have on hand food types that are typical American items. I am forced to go to Bangkok for farang food. I have read the same said by Aussies and Europeans. It is all in the perspective when it comes to food shopping. No more frequently than once a month, more like once every 2 or 3 months,I will put an ice chest in the back of the truck, pull the wife out of her shop, and give her a day off work. Drive up to Bkk, hit Foodland, the larger Tescos, Big C, Tops, and Macro, already knowing what they have, and stock up on 2 or 3 months worth of farang only food, bulk household products, while the wife does her shopping for all that boring to me, "girly stuff". Throw in a lunch and dinner, and shopping becomes an adventure. What have I saved? Who knows and who cares? I got the food I want, the wife got a fun day away from home and shop, more husband/wife bonding, and I dont have to fill up shopping carts for 2 or 3 months. Incidentals are gotten in close to home markets, as needed. I suppose many cant do that due to not have 2 refrigerators and freezers to stock 3 mos worth, but you get the idea. It can be scaled down to suit individual situations.

[vincentc]

Well its all central department store (central Group) no matter how you shake it up. I was so disgusted at the lack of fresh organic produce at the Laad Prao branch of CF last week that I complained to store managers and left with out purchasing anything...Monopolies in Thailand are seriously getting out of hand. Is it any wonder the prices on nearly all consumer goods are steadily increasing? For thos of you who may not have known the history of Big C here is info.

As if complaining to managers would help a thing over there....

So if CF (I mean Big C Extra) is cutting down on its offer of Organic produce, where are we gonna buy it now?

Edited May 14, 2011 by vincentc

[edwardandtubs]

I saw currently Carrefour Big C has grilled pigeons on sale every day at 119 Baht.This is quite exlusive for Thailand.They still haven't created the new sticker yet yet so for the time being they call them grilled chicken.

OMG don't tell me those suspiciously cheap baby chickens I've been eating are actually flying rats.

[powderpuff]

Agree with a lot of that. I buy fresh produce & fruit at TOPS because I prefer it. I do shop Villa & Foodland because of the selection of farang food.

I use TESCO & CF to buy coke, potato chips, paper towels that type of thing. CF do have a real nice bakery & I hope it doesn't go away. TESCO have nearly identical bakery & I will use them too.

TESCO have good prices on cleaning products plastic items consumer non durables. CF is very handy to where we live & I like it. The express check-out at TESCO is a Chinese fire drill. I avoid it for that reason.

[featography]

Agree with a lot of that. I buy fresh produce & fruit at TOPS because I prefer it. I do shop Villa & Foodland because of the selection of farang food.

I use TESCO & CF to buy coke, potato chips, paper towels that type of thing. CF do have a real nice bakery & I hope it doesn't go away. TESCO have nearly identical bakery & I will use them too.

TESCO have good prices on cleaning products plastic items consumer non durables. CF is very handy to where we live & I like it. The express check-out at TESCO is a Chinese fire drill. I avoid it for that reason.

How many have tried S&P brand rice bread? Its actually 60% wheat,40% rice, short loafs, but larger surface area each slice. Always fresh and soft, tastes great. I got addicted to this stuff. I find S&P vendors in Tesco, and some hospitals, snack and coffee area.