Carrefour, the world's second largest supermarket chain, opened
its first direct procurement center in Shanghai, said a public
relations manager surnamed Li at Carrefour in Shanghai. The new
base will mainly purchase agricultural products.
Luo Guowei, president of Carrefour China, said direct
procurement enables Carrefour to bypass wholesales, reducing costs
and benefiting farmers who supply the supermarket.
Carrefour plans to do the same throughout China and build
another direct procurement center in Beijing before long.
(China Daily July 20, 2007)
