April 28 -- Carrefour SA, the world's second- biggest retailer, recorded lower sales at 15 of its 112 stores in China after cell-phone text messages and Internet blogs called for a boycott of the French company.
``The calls for a boycott aren't over yet and it's too soon to say what impact this will have,'' Jacques Beauchet, a member of Paris-based Carrefour's management committee, said in an interview with BFM radio today. More protests are expected on May 1, he said.
France was criticized in China after protesters disrupted the Olympic torch relay in Paris and French President Nicolas Sarkozy refused to rule out a boycott of the opening ceremony of the Olympics games. People rallied outside Carrefour stores in as many as 12 cities in the past two weeks to protest against disruptions to the relay.
The stores remained open during the protests, but sales were lower, Beauchet said, without giving more details.
Carrefour has canceled sales promotions planned for the May 1 public holiday in China after a call for more protests. The French retailer boosted sales in China 24 percent last year, making it the country's sixth-biggest retailer, according to the China Chain Store & Franchise Association.
The Olympic torch tour has drawn protesters who've used the global event to criticize Beijing's crackdown in Tibet and its human rights record. China blames supporters of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, for organizing the most serious unrest in 20 years in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, last month.
``The calls for a boycott aren't over yet and it's too soon to say what impact this will have,'' Jacques Beauchet, a member of Paris-based Carrefour's management committee, said in an interview with BFM radio today. More protests are expected on May 1, he said.
France was criticized in China after protesters disrupted the Olympic torch relay in Paris and French President Nicolas Sarkozy refused to rule out a boycott of the opening ceremony of the Olympics games. People rallied outside Carrefour stores in as many as 12 cities in the past two weeks to protest against disruptions to the relay.
The stores remained open during the protests, but sales were lower, Beauchet said, without giving more details.
Carrefour has canceled sales promotions planned for the May 1 public holiday in China after a call for more protests. The French retailer boosted sales in China 24 percent last year, making it the country's sixth-biggest retailer, according to the China Chain Store & Franchise Association.
The Olympic torch tour has drawn protesters who've used the global event to criticize Beijing's crackdown in Tibet and its human rights record. China blames supporters of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, for organizing the most serious unrest in 20 years in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, last month.
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