We Get Wal-Mart...: And the French get E. Leclerc. Hardly seems fair.

For those who have not yet been introduced, E. Leclerc is a French retail giant and its CEO is Michel-Edouard Leclerc, profiled here by the FT, which draws attention to his abiding interest in social issues and his use of blogging--a useful form of brand building because French "hypermarkets" are not currently allowed to advertise on television.

He's the French equivalent of Mark Cuban, except he spends his time discoursing not about his business but about the environment and the rights of the handicapped and aid for the victims of the tsunami.

He features prominently in Scoble and Israel's Naked Conversations, where he tells the authors: “I like public debate. I have a passion for political questions. With my job, I happen to be at the head of an extraordinary observatory of social life. I am managing a network that works with 8,000 industrial suppliers, around 30 banks, and all the administrations. Thanks to these links, I have gained a certain vision of society. You should not leave the political expertise only to the political professionals.”

Perfect mentality for a blogger.