US retail giant Wal-Mart's surprise bid for British grocer Asda sent rivals across Europe scrambling for cover. France, with its hypermarkets, was seen as the next battleground in Wal-Mart's European campaign. "Wal-Mart needs to be in France . . . If it's not big in France, it hasn't really made it into Europe proper," said one analyst.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, agreed on Monday to acquire third-placed UK supermarkets group ASDA for £6.7 billion sterling (€10.4 billion). The bid snatched ASDA from general merchandiser Kingfisher and signalled that Wal-Mart was serious about European expansion. After unveiling the deal for 229-store Asda, Wal-Mart executives implied that France was next in the company's sights.