Carrefour shifts focus away from hypermarts

French retailer Carrefour SA continues to shift its focus from its traditional hypermarket business to smaller convenience store format - planning to open 40 to 50 in Shanghai this year.

The company said it has seen encouraging sales trends in China thanks to fresh products. The transformation of its business models in the country "has continued and is well advanced", according to the company's e-mail reply to China Daily.

"Any new strategy development needs time to take effect and we are happy to see its first results," said the retailer.