The Pão de Açúcar Group is the leader amongst the Brazilian supermarket chains. It is at the top of the ranking prepared by the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets (Abras), released Wednesday, April 26, in São Paulo.
The group earned US$ 7.83 billion in 2005 and had 15.2% of the national market.
Carrefour, in second position, has 11.8% of the market and earned revenues of US$ 5.92 billion last year. The third largest chain present in Brazil is Wal-Mart.
The Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição (CBD), also known as Grupo Pão de Açúcar has as its main activity the operation of retail trade of food, home appliances, clothing and similar products.
The CBD operates supermarkets, department stores and other specialized stores that include Pão de Açúcar, Extra, Barateiro, Comprebem, Extra Eletro and Sendas. The Group had 556 stores at the end of last year.
Carrefour, which is originally French, has 97 hypermarkets and 73 supermarkets in Brazil. The chain arrived in the country in the 1970’s and currently has, apart from the Carrefour stores, supermarkets under brands Champion and Dia. In 2004, the group, which include the supermarkets, had revenues of US$ 12.1 billion in Brazil.
Although the group’s main business is retail, they also have business in other areas in the country, as is the case with fruit production and cattle breeding. All around the world, Carrefour has over 9,000 stores in 26 countries.