Carrefour has returned to the Indian market, 12 years after leaving the country, with the opening of a new store in Greater Noida, in the New Delhi metropolitan area.

The operation marks the beginning of the French group's new strategy in India, now developed through a franchising partnership with the Apparel Group.

The new store has an assortment of approximately 15 items, combining international products with a significant presence of local suppliers. The new store's offerings include fresh produce, groceries, bakery items, essential household goods, and personal care products, and, according to Carrefour, was designed to meet the needs of local consumers.

The focus on local sourcing is particularly important in the group's strategy for the country. When it announced its return to India in 2024, Carrefour identified the availability of agricultural raw materials and the development of the local food industry as opportunities to also develop its own brand in the market.

Return via Apparel Group

Unlike its first foray into the Indian market, Carrefour is now moving forward through a partnership model. In September 2024, the French group signed a strategic franchising agreement with Apparel Group, a Dubai-based company with an already established presence in Indian retail. The initial plan was to start in northern India and subsequently expand its presence to other regions of the country.

At the time, Carrefour anticipated its first openings in New Delhi during 2025. The opening now completed in Greater Noida thus represents the effective start of that strategy.

When the agreement was announced, Apparel Group had approximately 250 stores in India, spread across more than 35 cities and 15 states, offering Carrefour relevant infrastructure and local knowledge to accelerate expansion.

Carrefour left India in 2014.

This is Carrefour's second attempt to establish a presence in the Indian market. The group first entered the country in 2010, developing a network of five cash-and-carry stores focused on wholesale. However, it eventually left India in 2014.

The return is now happening through a distinct structure, based on franchising and an adaptation of the product range and formats to the specificities of the local market.

India was already being presented by Carrefour, at the time of the partnership announcement, as a strategic market due to its demographic size, urbanization, economic growth, and increased purchasing power. The group also considered that the limited presence of structured operators in certain areas of food retail created space for new, modern distribution formats.

India integrates into Carrefour's international strategy.

The return to the country is part of Carrefour's strategy of using international partners to enter markets where it does not operate directly. In its Carrefour 2026 plan, the group set a goal of entering ten new markets between 2022 and 2026 through international partners, prioritizing geographies in Central Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, in addition to other opportunities considered strategic.