Abstract

The case discusses stores swap between two of the top retailers in the world, Tesco and Carrefour, in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Taiwan. In Taiwan, Carrefour was among the leading retailers. But in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Carrefour was not able to gain market share. Tesco, on the other hand, was in a strong position in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but its Taiwanese operations were not doing well. The case details the swap agreement between the two companies, according to which Tesco agreed to take over 11 of Carrefour's stores in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Carrefour agreed to take over six stores of Tesco in Taiwan. The case also discusses the problems Tesco faced with the Slovakian part of the deal and concludes with a discussion on the future prospects of Tesco in the Czech Republic and that of Carrefour in Taiwan.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Study the international expansion strategies of Carrefour and Tesco.
• Understand the reasons behind Tesco and Carrefour deciding to swap some of their stores.
• Analyze the reasons for Carrefour's success in Taiwan and Tesco's success in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Keywords

Carrefour, Tesco, Taiwan, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Retail Industry, Hypermarkets, Stores Swap, Local partners, Antimonopoly Office