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Carrefour

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Submitted By ayrebear
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Ryan Ayre, CJ Peszneker
FINC 480
10.3.13

Case Analysis: Carrefour S.A.

Context and Key Issues This case, centered in 2002, involves Carrefour S.A., at the time, Europe’s largest retailer. Leading up to 2002, Carrefour largely grew its business, including acquisitions, outside of its home country of France. At the time, Carrefour had retail operations in 26 different countries and funded any of its capital needs within these countries with the country’s currency denomination. Confronting Carrefour is a decision brought to it by its investments banks, Morgan Stanley and UBS-Warburg of funding future capital needs by borrowing in British pounds which provided opportunity to benefit from pricing differences in currencies through the Eurobond market. The options presented to Carrefour for borrowing include:
A 10-year bond, selling at par with a coupon rate of 5.25 Euros
A 10-year bond, selling at par with a coupon rate of 5.375 British pounds
A 10-year bond, selling at par with a coupon rate of 3.625 Swiss francs
A 10-year bond selling at par with a coupon rate of 5.50 U.S. dollars
Background
Carrefour was started in 1963 under the hypermarket concept which included a drugstore, gas station, supermarket and discount store all in one building. There initial store in Sainte-Genevieve-des-bois encompassed 2,500 square meters of retail space and 400 parking spots. With this revolutionary retail concept, Carrefour expanded rapidly into Belgium (1969), Brazil (1975). Included in their organic store growth throughout Asia, South America and Europe was mergers and acquisitions such as Euro Marché and Montlaur (Mergers). Carrefour was profitable in all regions it operated within; totaling Eur2.8 billion operating profits from EUR69.5 billion net sales in 2001 which was also the year that Carrefour’s international sales exceeded sales within France. The CEO of Carrefour in

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