Dubai's Landmark Group to franchise Carrefour in India

Dubai-based Landmark Group intends to open 200 retail stores across India. The retailer is particularly interested in food retail. According to the Financial Times, Landmark is currently negotiating a franchise agreement with French retailer Carrefour, for its intended food retail operation in India.

Landmark is already represented in India via several retail operations a.o. in babycare, shoes, home centres and lifestyle stores. It intends to expand its business across the Gulf region into India. Food retail will be a new addition to Landmarks retail portfolio which is non-food only. It however has foodservice operations in shopping malls in the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Carrefour’s prime franchiser in the Middle East is Majid-al-Futtaim whose chief executive François de Montaudouin also expressed the ambition to grow Carrefour in the Middle East region. In Elsevier Food International he stated that India would be too far west for his company, so there will be no problem might Carrefour clinch a franchise agreement with Landmark for India. On the other hand, however, also Landmark has to deal with the fact that the Indian government still not allows direct foreign investment in food retailing.