Carrefour names FNAC Darty's Malige as new finance chief

[PARIS] Carrefour named Matthieu Malige as finance director on Monday, two months after the world's second-biggest supermarket retailer behind Walmart warned on its 2017 operating profit.

Mr Malige, previously in charge of group finances at FNAC Darty , will replace Pierre Jean Sivignon who is resigning.

"Matthieu Malige is appointed, effective today, chief financial officer of Groupe Carrefour. He succeeds Pierre Jean Sivignon, who, faced with personal difficulties, has asked chairman and chief executive officer Alexandre Bompard to relieve him of his duties," Carrefour said.

Carrefour CEO Mr Bompard joined Carrefour from FNAC Darty in July and has already made other management changes as he looks to revive Carrefour's fortunes.

In September, Mr Bompard named Pascal Clouzard, 54, CEO of Carrefour Spain since 2011, as executive director for France.

Mr Clouzard's challenge is to boost the performance of Carrefour's French hypermarkets, a goal that has eluded several predecessors.

In France, which accounts for nearly half of Carrefour's sales and 44 per cent of its operating profit, Carrefour faces fierce price competition from online rivals and other operators.

Carrefour said in August that its 2017 operating profit could fall by around 12 per cent, and it also cut its sales growth target.

Carrefour shares are down around 25 per cent since the start of 2017, underperforming both the STOXX Europe 600 index and France's benchmark CAC-40 which are both up by roughly 10 per cent.

REUTERS