This study gives informations about Carrefour's results and strategy since the entry of the company in the Stock Exchange (1970). The Carrefour group has become one of the best retailers in the world. An investor who acquired Carrefour stock at the IPO and resold it at the end of 1997 got 24 % per year return. The excellent performance of the French leader, especially since 1992-1993, maybe explained by an exceptional qualitative and quantitative leap in an increasingly internationalized context. The first part of this paper presents the territorial and strategic position of Carrefour as well as the methodology employed to analyze the retailer's financial situation. The second part of the survey justifies the power acquired by Carrefour, measurable by both economic value added and shareholder value.
