Carrefour sort Champion de Chine

Carrefour sort Champion de Chine: "SANS état d'âme, José Luis Duran poursuit le nettoyage de printemps. Le directeur général de Carrefour l'avait promis. Son groupe ne restera pas dans le pays s'il estime qu'il ne peut pas s'imposer parmi les trois leaders du marché. Ce principe est affiné aujourd'hui : Carrefour évalue ses positions par segment de distribution et non plus seulement par pays. En Chine, l'enseigne, qui est de loin numéro un, a ainsi décidé d'abandonner les supermarchés.

Installé depuis 1995 dans l'empire du Milieu, Carrefour n'avait jamais vraiment mis l'accent sur cette branche. Sur ses 315 magasins chinois, 8 sont des supermarchés Champion, 73 des hypermarchés Carrefour et 234 des magasins hard-discount Dia. Encore a-t-il fallu attendre 2004 pour l'ouverture d'un premier Champion. Quatre magasins seront cédés à Shoulan, partenaire local de Carrefour. Pour les quatre autres, le groupe cherche un repreneur."

Il poursuit donc les ouvertures d'hypermarchés – en moyenne un par mois – et de ses Dia – deux à trois par mois.

En attendant, José Luis Duran accélère les désengagements de pays peu rentables. Le retrait des supermarchés chinois intervient après l'annonce de la sortie de Corée la semaine dernière, et les désengagements du Mexique, Japon, République tchèque et Slovaquie en 2005.

Mais José Luis Duran, qui est arrivé à la tête de Carrefour en 2004, n'est pas qu'un «cost-killer». C'est aussi l'homme de toutes les largesses. Lors de la présentation annuelle des résultats de son groupe il a ainsi annoncé qu'il allait consacrer une enveloppe de 10 milliards d'euros pour ouvrir 1 000 magasins dans le monde entre 2006 et 2008.

Carrefour - WWF

Carrefour - Valeurs & engagements - Environnement: "Parmi les autres initiatives importantes, on peut signaler l'adhésion de Carrefour au club Proforêts du WWF ."

Carrefour, membre du Club Proforêts et partenaire du WWF

Près de la moitié des forêts tropicales ont disparu en un siècle, et avec elles de nombreuses espèces animales et végétales.

En adhérant au Club Proforêts en 1999, Carrefour s'est engagé auprès du WWF à encourager une gestion forestière durable, c'est-à-dire à la fois respectueuse de l'environnement, socialement bénéfique et économiquement viable. Dans le cadre de ce partenariat, Carrefour s'engage à progressivement utiliser du bois et papier labellisé FSC pour les publications comme pour les produits en bois (meubles, jouets, …).
Ce label garantit notamment que le bois est issu d'une exploitation forestière qui assure la conservation de la diversité biologique, des ressources en eau, des sols, des paysages et des écosystèmes, tout en respectant les droits des travailleurs.

Carrefour is a member of the Club Proforêts (the French branch of the Forest and Trade Network) and a WWF partner.

The last 100 years have been marked by the destruction of almost half the planet's tropical forests, a loss that also includes numberless animal and plant species.

When signing up to the Club Proforêts in 1999, Carrefour made a commitment to the WWF to work on encouraging sustainable forest management, in other words a system that is at once environmentally sensitive, socially beneficial, and economically viable. As part of this partnership, Carrefour has undertaken to progressively switch to using FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood and paper for both its publications and wooden products (furniture, toys, and so on).

The main value of this certification is the guarantee that wood is extracted from a forest in such a way as to preserve biological diversity and natural resources - in terms of water, soil, the landscape, and ecosystems - while simultaneously respecting the rights of forestry workers.

Carrefour China: Investing in Agriculture

Investing in Agriculture (china business mag): "Foreign supermarkets are now setting up contracts with farmers to assure the quality and supply of produce to their stores. One such supermarket chain is Carrefour China. The supermarket giant invests about US$100 to 150 million annually in opening stores throughout the country. 'Carrefour also invests in small farm production by providing technicians, technology and market knowledge to farmers,' explains Antoine Bloch, Carrefour China's national hygiene and quality manager. 'We offer advanced technology, market knowledge and information to small farmers, and in return, we have the guarantee of getting high quality and safe products following our standards. Our products carrying the Carrefour brand name guarantee high quality to customers.'

Carrefour plans to create over 20 branches across the country by 2005. 'This type of investment with farmers has become one of our major axis of development,' adds Bloch."

WWF China - Carrefour - 2004/2005

WWF China: "WWF and Carrefour help local communities in the panda habitat to market green products"

NTFP promotion

Environmentally friendly products from local communities living in the Minshan panda habitat have been promoted at three branches of Carrefour in Chengdu, Sichuan province from October 15 to 30, 2004 and from October 14 to 24, 2005.

2004: Products for sale include honey, flour, walnuts, mushrooms, dried persimmon cakes, and traditional handicrafts.

2005: Products for sale include honey from high-altitude wildflowers, tea and prickly ash fruit.

Places where NTFP come from: Wanglang, Baihe, and Baishuijiang nature reserves in Sichuan and Gansu provinces.

NTFP = Non Timber Forest Product

WWF China - Field Report: Wanglang Panda Nature Reserve

WWF China: "They reveal that most pandas congregate in the lowest of the three valleys in the 32 000-hectare reserve near the gatehouse. This has prompted managers to shut off the area to the visitors who increasingly drive up here during Chinese public holidays in May and October .

The rangers also know whose droppings are whose. Each animal has a distinctive bite, measured by the gap between its molars. Zhou and the other patrollers routinely pick through the green droppings to find bamboo remains and measure how long they are. From that they can map each animal's terrain. "

Eco-tourism:

"Our unique customs, language and costumes are a tourist attraction," he said. "Our women sing and dance for the tourists. We are building guest houses so that they can stay in our villages. We hope for many Chinese visitors, and thanks to WWF we had two foreign groups last year."

Didn't he fear that tourists, even concerned socially and ecologically-minded Western tourists, could damage their culture? Far from it, he said. "Our ways were dying. Eco-tourism has helped to revive our culture." Old people, he said, are dredging their memories for old dances and songs.

Other interesting resource in this field support:
Writer's Journal: Wanglang Diary

WWF - Protecting China’s national treasure - Sept 2005

WWF - Protecting China’s national treasure: "The Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) was once widespread throughout southern and eastern China, as well as in neighbouring Myanmar and northern Vietnam. Due to expanding human populations and development, however, the species is now restricted to only 20 or so isolated patches of forest throughout several of China's mountain ranges. "

"Xia’s honey, like that of other beekeepers, is sold at the Wanglang reserve to passing tourists. And thanks to a deal negotiated with the help of WWF, the honey is now being sold to Carrefour, Europe’s largest retailer, which has a strong presence in China. "

WWF - Panda survey

WWF - Panda survey helps create new generation of conservationists: "Equipped with an electronic tracking device and a satellite positioning system, Li Xiang Feng and his colleagues covered over 23,000km2 in three years searching for signs of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)."

"Back at the base, technicians reviewed and recorded all the information to form a national Geographic Information System (GIS) database on the extent of panda habitat."

"In his almost three years in the field, Li saw a panda only once. Pandas, shy and wary of humans, can smell people coming and quickly run away."

WWF's work on panda conservation

WWF - nearly 1,600 giant pandas in the wild - Jun 2004

WWF - New survey reveals nearly 1,600 giant pandas in the wild: "Results from the most comprehensive survey of China’s giant panda population reveal that there are nearly 1,600 pandas in the wild, over 40 per cent more animals than previously thought to exist. "
"WWF experts believe that the difference is mainly due to better counting than a better environment for the giant panda."

"More than 170 people worked in 54 counties in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, covering an area of over 23,000 km2. They collected data on the state of natural resources in panda habitats, as well as the socioeconomic status of people living in the panda's range. "

"Across China there are 40 panda reserves - protected areas for pandas - compared to 13 two decades ago. "

"WWF was the first international conservation organization invited to work in China and has been working on giant panda conservation in China since 1980."

Net rate of forest loss in Africa second highest in the world

Net rate of forest loss in Africa second highest in the world: "Globally, Africa suffered a net loss of forests exceeding 4 million hectares per year between 2000 and 2005, according to FAO. This was mainly due to conversion of forest lands to agriculture. Forest cover went from 655.6 million hectares (ha) to 635.4 million ha during this period.

South America is the world region with the highest net loss of forests."