Carrefour sign

French retailer Carrefour is looking at establishing itself in growth markets where it can establish a 'deep footprint', according to the group's chief executive officer Lars Olofsson.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Olofsson said that he would like to push the group back into the Russian market, which it entered in 2009 but then left in the second half of last year.

At the time, Carrefour said in a statement that it had decided to exit Russia due to a lack of prospects for organic growth or acquisition opportunities that would make it a market leader in the short or medium term.

'If we go back into Russia, it will be through an acquisition,' he told the publication. 'I pulled out last year because you can't win with little guns when big cannons are against you.'