CARREFOUR is looking to open a stand-alone supermarket across 20 rai on the eastern side of the island, intensifying the battle for Phuket's stomachs and wallets.

The present Carrefour store manager at the Jungceylon outlet, Punthila Puripreecha, sees the sense in expanding.

Senior Carrefour executives have been sizing up three or four large properties to the east of the island for a couple of weeks now, with the aim of opening by 2011.

''We will start for sure next year, but we need the right site first,'' Khun Punthila told Phuketwan in an exclusive interview.

The store will be two-storeys, with a big supermarket at ground level and an events hall above. That's another first for Phuket.

By the end of the year, Carrefour will have 41 supermarkets around Thailand.

''We haven't overdone the promotion,'' Khun Punthila said. ''We like to work with local communities and help them to keep their environments tidy.''

In tune with modern thinking, Carrefour at Jungceylon is already promoting reusable cloth bags for shoppers to use in preference to the plastic throw-away kind.

While pricing will always be a factor in supermarket face-offs, Phuket is considered to be a relatively rich province. That's why there is plenty of choice.

Carrefour at Jungceylon opened in December 2006 and has a base of customers that is more than 70 percent expat. The store opens 10am-10pm.

Another innovation is growing their own produce, with Carrefour suggesting standards for its farmers and suppliers to follow.

The traditional local mom and pop shops are bound to be affected with every supermarket opening but the franchise mini-marts are their real predators, Khun Punthila said.

She moved to Carrefour on Phuket about seven months ago. Many of the restaurants in Patong now use Carrefour for their fresh supplies, she says.

While on sales and property, Phuketwan also understands that Shell is planning a new service station on the Phuket City side of Patong Hill. It will be built on land the Shell franchise operators already own.

A substantial increase in rent on the land on which the Shell station in Yaowarat Road Samkong now stands, based on the rising value of the property, is likely to lead to the Shell station there closing next year.

Motorists heading towards Phuket City will then have to drive to old Phuket Town before they can fill up.


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