Excerpted from the France Career Guide
According to
the French national statistics office, INSEE, the economy grew
higher than expectations at 2.2 percent in the last few years.
However, unemployment is expected to remain at just under 10 percent
in the near future, declining slowly. Modest economic growth is
expected, reflecting a continuing weakness in exports.
Large
retailers in France include Carrefour, with an estimated 27 percent
of the groceries market. It ranks number two worldwide behind US
giant Wal-Mart. Success in France, where Carrefour runs a variety of
food retailers from Champion supermarkets to Ed Discount Stores, has
been the engine of its global expansion. However, this has relied heavily
on its biggest single business in France, hypermarkets. For five
years, its hypermarkets, which account for at least a quarter of
Carrefour’s global sales and well over a third of operating profits,
have been losing market share. Decades of international expansion
have driven up Carrefour’s costs, while consumer spending at home
remains depressed. Government initiatives to boost spending by
persuading suppliers and retailers to cut prices have only
intensified the deflationary environment.
This is just a sample of what you'll find in the complete guide.
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