Douala, Cameroon, December 5, 2017//: Carrefour Market shopping centre, operated by CFAO Retail, officially opened today in Douala, Cameroon.
The guests in attendance at the opening ceremony included Minister of Trade Mr Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana and several members of the Cameroonian government.
CFAO was represented by Xavier Desjobert, Chief Executive Officer of CFAO Retail, and Luc Demez, Managing Director of CFAO Retail Cameroon. Carrefour was represented by Jérôme Bonzi, International Partnerships Director.
Located in the Bonamoussadi neighbourhood within Douala’s 5th district, in the north of Cameroon’s business capital, the Carrefour Market shopping centre spans a total of 8,250 square metres, including the carpark.
The centre features a Carrefour Market supermarket (1,430 sqm) with a unique selling proposition: high-quality fresh products, local products, exclusive Carrefour brand products, strict sourcing and cleanliness standards to ensure food safety, and merchant services that make customers’ lives easier and improve the shopping experience.
The mall also houses six other shops and two CFAO Club of Brands dining options: Brioche Dorée and a second restaurant that will open in spring 2018.
The Carrefour Market supermarket and Brioche Dorée restaurant have directly created 200 jobs, in addition to the 150 jobs created by the shops in the mall and other service providers. Carrefour Market and Brioche Dorée Douala have already provided over 7,000 hours of training to their new hires.
CFAO Retail has also developed synergy between the two countries taking part in the project. Managers from the Douala Carrefour Market and Brioche Dorée have received training in mass retail and convenience food at CFAO Retail sites in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Xavier Desjobert, CEO of CFAO Retail, said: “For our first site in Douala, we have assembled the ingredients that have driven the success of our offering in Africa over the past two years: strong local engagement and a significant economic footprint. The Douala opening is the first step in the broader CFAO Retail roll-out in Cameroon.
In 2019, Yaoundé will become home to a PlaYce shopping centre, a brand that is already very well known in sub-Saharan Africa. For the past two years in Côte d’Ivoire and now in Cameroon, we have been continuing to cement our long-term strategy for growth in Central and West Africa.”
Luc Demez, Managing Director of CFAO Retail Cameroon, added: “We are witnessing the rise of the middle class in Douala – consumers who are seeking access to modern products at the best possible prices. Our customers have high standards and are loyal to the local economy.
They want a wide range of high-quality options and purchases that have meaning. Carrefour Market will offer an exclusive range of Carrefour brand products, high-quality fresh products and over 1,500 products that are made in Cameroon. It is important for us to contribute to the development of the Cameroonian economy”.
African Eye Report
