European shares closed higher Oct. 21 as quarterly results lifted Randstad and EssilorLuxottica, offsetting Carrefour’s slide after unrest in France prompted the retailer to cut its 2026 outlook, Reuters reported.
The STOXX Europe 600 finished at 644.49 points, up 0.92%, Teleborsa market data showed. It had traded near flat early in the session, Reuters reported.
Randstad reported third-quarter revenue of €6.115 billion. Organic revenue growth per working day reached 3.9% from a year earlier, above the 2.9% analyst consensus published by the company. EssilorLuxottica reported quarterly revenue of €7.486 billion, up 7.2% from a year earlier at constant exchange rates.
Reuters reported that Randstad shares rose 20% and EssilorLuxottica gained 15.5% by the close. Carrefour shares fell 13.8%, the outlet reported.
Carrefour now expects its operating margin to rise by 0 to 15 basis points in 2026, down from its earlier target of 25 basis points. It expects adjusted earnings per share to show stable to slight growth, compared with its previous forecast of high-single-digit growth.
The 2026 profit outlook cut also included a lower cash flow forecast: Carrefour now expects net free cash flow to decline slightly instead of rising slightly. It reduced planned capital expenditure to €1.6 billion from €1.7 billion.
Carrefour said its French stores faced fewer customer visits, hours curtailed by curfews and rising security and logistics bills. Higher energy costs were already weighing on consumer spending, it said. France’s Finance Ministry said violence on Oct. 17 and 18 damaged several thousand businesses and announced support for affected firms.
Separately, the U.K. Office for National Statistics said consumer prices rose 3.5% in the 12 months through September, up from 3.1% in August. Transport contributed more to the increase in the annual inflation rate than any other category, with motor fuels playing a prominent role.
The Bank of England is scheduled to announce its next policy decision Nov. 5. The next U.K. consumer inflation release is due Nov. 18.
