IntroductionCarrefour is an international chain of hypermarkets in the retail sector, established in France, the chain is now identified as the largest retailer in Europe and the second largest retailer in the world. In 1957, Carrefour opened the first store in the South-East of France; and thanks to its success, the first French hypermarket opened in 1963, selling both food and non-food products. In 1969, the Group opened the first international hypermarket in Belgium, while continually introducing the Carrefour chain to other member countries of the European Union. In 1989, Carrefour opened the first international hypermarket in Taiwan, creating a foundation for Carrefour, which allowed the company to introduce own-brand products, insurance services, etc. In the 1990s, Carrefour bought the French hypermarket chains “Euro Marché” and “Montlaur’. This demonstrates Carrefour's strong impact of influence in France, with the Group having also introduced new services such as specialized traditional products and travel services. Subsequently, this strengthens the company's presence and status, as the channel grows and expands rapidly. Carrefour is internationalizing by opening stores in Europe and Asia. This was achieved either by becoming owners of foreign stores or by entering the market through the use of a wholly owned subsidiary. Carrefour has had a significant impact and influence on the markets in which it has established itself; such that the introduction of the hypermarket industry led 16 hypermarkets to create partnerships with the Group. In 2008, Carrefour opened 1,191 new stores, giving it 15,500 stores worldwide, classified into four main store formats; like hypermarkets, supermarkets, hard discounters and convenience stores...... middle of paper ......like the Plaza shopping center will open ten days apart in Burgas' L'Echo de Sofia, 23 March [Online]. Available at: http://sofiaecho.com/2009/03/23/693868_carrefour-and-bourgas-plaza-shopping-mall-to-open-10-days-apart-in-bourgas (Accessed March 14, 2011). McDonald, F and Burton, F. (2002) International Affairs. London: Thomson.Novinite, 2009. French retailer Carrefour opens first hypermarket in Bulgaria. (Online) [Updated March 25, 2009] Available at: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=102237 [Accessed March 9, 2001] The Free Dictionary, 2011. Wholly owned subsidiaries . [online]Available at: http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Wholly+owned+subsidiary[Accessed March 28, 2011]Your Dictionary, 1996. Wholly Owned Subsidiaries. [online]Available at: http://business.yourdictionary.com/wholly-owned-subsidiary[Accessed March 26 2011]