Carrefour

Walmart president and CEO Mike Duke frequently asserts no other global retailer is better positioned than Walmart, and it is easy to see why he holds that view especially when compared with the situation at the world’s second largest retailer.

There has been lots of buzz and comment over Wal-Mart Stores’ fourth quarter fiscal results. While the chain’s U.S. sales are rebounding, its quarterly profit and sales fell short of Wall Street expectations and its forecasts suggest that results in this quarter and fiscal year may again disappoint analysts.

Here are some interesting comments from Natalie Berg, global research director, Planet Retail, on the chain’s results:

How much is a brand worth? If the brand in question happens to be Walmart, the answer is an eye-popping $139 billion, according to Interbrand Design Forum’s ranking of the top 50 U.S. retail brands by brand value. The study calculates the financial net worth of retail brands based on three metrics: the brand’s financial performance, the role the brand plays in driving consumer selection, and the ability of the brand to secure the delivery of expected future earnings.

Dayton, Ohio -- Walmart takes the top spot on a ranking of the most valuable U.S. retail brands from branding consultancy firm Interbrand. The discounter’s brand value is put at a whopping $139 billion. By comparision, the second highest ranked U.S. brand, Target Corp., has a value of $23 billion.

Paris -- Carrefour, the second largest retailer in the world after Wal-Mart Stores, has selected French retailing veteran Georges Plassat, 62, as its next CEO and chairman.

New York City -- French retailer Carrefour is in advanced talks to replace its CEO, according to The New York Times.

The board of the company is talking with Georges Plassat to replace its current CEO, Lars Olofsson, the report said. Plassat is chief executive of Vivarte, the Paris-based owner of retail clothing chains and shoe stores including Kookai, Chevignon and Naf Naf.

Paris -- A Tuesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that French retailer Carrefour SA has sold 97 supermarket sites to an investment company for $477 million.

Carrefour, the world’s second-largest retailer after Wal-Mart Stores, will continue to operate the sites through 12-year leases under its Carrefour Markets banner. The company said the sales and lease-backs will allow it to optimize the use of its capital, which will be reinvested into other real estate.

Mumbai, India -- A Monday report by Reuters said that the world’s third-largest retailer Tesco Plc has delayed its plans to set up wholesale stores in India, as it faces mountains of political red tape and controversy in the country.

Reuters, citing a report in the Business Standard newspaper, said that the supermarket giant will instead focus on setting up warehouses and back-end infrastructure.