Carrefour announced on Tuesday (7) the conclusion of the acquisition of the BIG Group for R$ 7 billion. More than ratifying the purchase, which consolidates its leadership position in retail, the company also established a new shareholders’ agreement. In this way, the Board of Directors will have 13 members of the collegiate body, three of which are independent, compared to the previous ten. The change was already expected, even to integrate executives from Grupo Carrefour and Grupo BIG into the board. But the surprise was the increase in the number of Brazilians on the Council, composed of a collegiate with seven members from France and six from Brazil. The CEO of Carrefour Global, Alexandre Bompard, will be chaired by Abílio Diniz, as vice-president in place of the Frenchman Edouard Balthazard. The new provision will be submitted to the company’s General Meeting.
Founder of Península Participações, Diniz is Carrefour’s second largest shareholder, with 7.2% of the company in Brazil. For years, he commanded the company founded by his father and today the biggest competitor of the French company, Grupo Pão de Açúcar. During a press conference, the executive spoke about the changes, which aim to bring more agility to the local operation. “Before, Brazil traveled to France, today the leaders of France come to Brazil,” he said. “I am empowered by [Alexandre] Bompard to be his person here in Brazil,” said Diniz.
“I am empowered by (Alexandre) Bompard to be his person here in Brazil” Abilio Diniz Entrepreneur.
For the market, in addition to the presence of the entrepreneur in the vice-presidency, the change was important precisely because of the presence of many Brazilians in the collegiate. It is the largest national composition since Carrefour went public in 2017, which can be interpreted as a sign of strengthening the local vision of the business. With the operation, Grupo Carrefour Brasil also consolidates itself as a leader in the food retail ranking, with a market share of 13%, almost double the second place and with comprehensive coverage in all Brazilian regions. The company is followed by Assai and Grupo Pão de Açúcar.
Carrefour has been growing on all fronts in Brazil. Recently, the company announced that the food segment was a highlight not only in the physical channel but in the digital one, registering growth of two and a half times in the first quarter of 2022, driven by Atacadão. In the online channel alone, Atacadão grew 7.8 times in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2021, totaling 2.3% of the total sales of the business unit in the quarter and 67% of the online sales of group foods.
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