PARIS, July 18 (Reuters) - Carrefour, the world's second-largest retailer, said on Tuesday that its board had appointed Alexandre Bompard as its new chairman and chief executive with immediate effect.

Bompard, 44, who was until now chief executive of consumer electronics retailer Fnac Darty, succeeds Georges Plassat, who had been at the helm of Carrefour since 2012.

In a statement, Carrefour thanked Plassat for his work at the company and wished success to Bompard.

Investors want Carrefour's new CEO to boost the performance of its French hypermarkets - a task where others have struggled.

They also want Bompard to do more regarding the digitalisation of Carrefour's retail business, given Amazon's $13.7 billion bid in June to buy Whole Foods Market , which shook up the industry. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)