Swedish-born Lars Olofsson’s big but bare penthouse office in Paris reflects not so much his home country’s famed minimalism, but the lack of time spent in it since joining Carrefour as chief executive in January.

The former number two at Nestlé, the Swiss-based food group, has been busy visiting about 20 of the 30 countries in which Carrefour, the world’s second-biggest retailer, operates.