Carrefour: Wifirst operates a high-density LAN/WiFi network across 4,600 locations

As a global leader in retail, Carrefour has chosen Wifirst to tackle a major operational challenge: bringing 4,600 locations back online and modernising the LAN and WiFi infrastructure at its retail stores in France. This strategic partnership is designed to enhance the customer experience and maximise employee productivity through a highly available network infrastructure.

// THE CHALLENGE: A NETWORK TO SUPPORT RETAIL TRANSFORMATION

Connecting Business Units and Enhancing the Customer Experience

At Carrefour, the network is no longer just a connectivity tool: it is the critical nervous system of the retail location, where data flows become the true driving force behind every business function. The LAN and WiFi infrastructure operated by Wifirst directly supports five major transformations:

• Full employee mobility: traditional tools are being phased out in favor of 100% smartphone-based solutions to guide employees in real time (inventory management, out-of-stock items, price adjustments).
• Store digitisation: the retail store is becoming smart (geolocated shelving, next-generation electronic price tags, AI cameras for merchandising).
• E-commerce growth: optimisation of order picking via product geolocation and LED guidance on the sales floor and in the drive-thru stockroom.
• Modernisation of checkout: securing and streamlining checkout flows (traditional checkout lanes, self-checkout kiosks, scales) to reduce customer wait times at the register.
• Connected customer experience: free, high-speed in-store WiFi, working seamlessly with the Carrefour mobile app (self-scan, digital receipts).

From butcher shops to gas stations: the all-terrain network

Mass retail is a hostile environment for radio waves and network infrastructure. To ensure absolute business continuity, Wifirst installs high-performance equipment throughout the store, tailoring the engineering to each type of area:

This wireless coverage relies on next-generation cables that eliminate interference and provide ultra-fast internet speeds.

This large-scale deployment remains completely invisible to customers and employees. Although preparation takes several weeks, installation and network downtime occur only at night. This allows the store to open at its usual time, without any disruption to sales.

Audit, monitor, and secure each location

To manage such a vast and diverse network, Wifirst relies on its proprietary tools:

• AUDIN, the pre-visit and audit application, enables the precise modelling of each store’s existing network (racks, switches, access points) and automatically generates a migration plan tailored to its specific constraints.
• HyperIS provides detailed technical monitoring of the LAN and WiFi infrastructure, store by store.
• The SupervisionBox continuously tests, on-site, the actual status of the WiFi and business applications to detect and resolve incidents before they impact the point of sale.

This combination of tools enables Wifirst to manage a heterogeneous network with the same level of rigor, regardless of the store’s format.

// OPERATIONS: PRECISION IN THE SERVICE OF SCALABILITY

Mass Deployment and Immediate Performance

Since April 27, 2026, Wifirst has taken over the overall operation of the entire existing network—approximately 4,600 locations in France, including hypermarkets, supermarkets, cash-and-carry stores (Promocash), convenience stores, and logistics warehouses. A major industrial challenge, supported by a 24/7 retail-dedicated operations team, proven processes, and proprietary tools capable of managing heterogeneous infrastructures.

Complete visibility into day-to-day operations

For Carrefour, managing these operations is handled through Wifirst Center, the web and mobile portal that provides a real-time view of the network’s status across all locations: a dynamic monitoring dashboard, maps of all stores, visualisation of equipment directly on each site’s floor plans, private WiFi management, and direct contact with Wifirst support when needed. A single tool to monitor, store by store, the health of a network of this scale.

By demonstrating its responsiveness, rigor, and ability to scale up operations from the very first weeks of this operational marathon, Wifirst is laying the foundation for a lasting relationship with Carrefour, focused on excellence, store by store.