date:Mar 06, 2014
nly to Wal-Mart (WMT.N) among the world's biggest retailers, is battling to reverse years of underperformance in Europe, where it makes 73 percent of its sales. Its problems are partly due to a reliance on the hypermarket format it pioneered, as time-pressed customers shop more locally and online, and buy non-food goods from specialists.
Georges Plassat, who took over as chief executive 20 months ago, has had some success in the group's home market of France by cutting costs, revamping stores,