Carrefour hit by fresh protests in China

BEIJING - French supermarket chain Carrefour has been buffeted with a new wave of protests in China, with demonstrators gathering outside its stores in Beijing, Hunan and Shenyang.

The continued protests follow Carrefour's reported decision to cancel an advertising campaign, and a gesture of solidarity with Beijing, which saw staff ordered to wear caps bearing the Olympic logo.

Carrefour has become a target for many Chinese nationalists after angry scenes in Paris last month, where a pro-Tibetan campaigner attempted to wrestle the Olympic torch from wheelchair-bound fencer Jin Jing, and allegations that LVMH chairman Bernard Anault, a major Carrefour stakeholder, was a supporter of the Dalai Lama.

The company has a high profile in China, with a 10-year history, 122 hypermarkets and 280 discount stores attracting an estimated 2 million customers a day.