Simpler structure
According to both parties the split is only being done to simplify things. Through their company Blue Capital Arnault, also CEO at luxury chain LVMH, and Colony own 8.1% of shares and 14.3% of voting rights at Carrefour. Both also have their own separate interest in the company: together they control 14.48% of shares and 19.98% of votes at the general meeting.
The pooling of the shares by Arnault and Colony could not stop the share of Carrefour to go the wrong way for a long time. At the end of February 2007 it was worth 44 euro, but it dropped to less than 15 euro in May of 2012. Today it is worth about 23 euro.
Arnault and Colony are the only known major shareholders of Carrefour. The majority of shares has been spread across many small shareholders.
