Carrefour French Retail Giant, to Sell 20% of Its Property Unit

Carrefour, the French supermarket chain and the world’s second-biggest retailer, said Thursday that it planned to sell part of its real estate portfolio in an initial public offering, bowing to pressure from investors including the French billionaire Bernard Arnault. The company will sell a 20 percent stake in its Carrefour property unit next year. The unit owns 280 superstores and 540 smaller supermarkets in Europe — 60 percent of Carrefour’s real estate.