Carrefour to open more stores in China

French supermarket chain Carrefour is confident about market prospects in China and plans to expand its presence to 100 Chinese cities in three years, one of its top managers said Thursday. Thierry Garnier, president and CEO of Carrefour China, said the company will open about 20 new outlets each year during the next few years and will step up expansion into second- and third-tier cities in central and western China. At present, Carrefour owns 236 stores in 73 Chinese cities, with a total of 66,000 employees. Garnier said China's policy of pushing forward urbanization means opportunities for the retail business. "There are many opportunities in central and western China, such as Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui and Jiangxi. We will open more outlets and put more resources there," Garnier said.