Carrefour fined for stampede deaths in China store
French retail giant Carrefour made a public apology and was fined 500,000 yuan ($68,000) after three people were killed in a stampede at one of its China outlets, state press said Saturday.
By Agencies |
BEIJING: French retail giant Carrefour made a public apology and was fined 500,000 yuan ($68,000) after three people were killed in a stampede at one of its China outlets, state press said Saturday.
Thirty-one other shoppers were injured in the stampede at a Carrefour supermarket in southwestern China's Chongqing city on November 10, Xinhua news agency said.
In the letter of apology, the Chongqing outlet said it took full responsibility for the accident, the report said.
An investigation revealed that a store security official tried to slow traffic into the store during a special promotion by blocking half of the entry way with a table, it said.
Instead it triggered a rush by shoppers eager to pick up a limited supply of cooking oil which had been reduced by 11.5 yuan, the company said.
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Besides the 500,000 yuan fine, the security official was taken into police custody, the report said, and is likely to face negligence charges. Two other store employees were also fired, it added. The stampede resulted in a nationwide ban on time-limited sales promotions. Eight people injured in the stampede remain hospitalised, Xinhua said.
The French retail giant moved into the Chinese market in 1995 and has since built up a network of 100 supermarkets. The company says it plans to expand at the rate of 20-25 stores a year.
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