As part of its Carrefour 2022 plan, the retailer has as one of its strategic pillars to overhaul its offer to promote food quality. A key part of the aim is to generate €5bn in organic sales by 2022. We look at recent developments from its home market, Brazil, Spain and Belgium that show the initiatives it is putting in place as it looks to hit that target.

Carrefour opens its first So.Bio in Paris

Following Carrefour’s acquisition in Q3 2018 of the So.Bio brand, it has opened, what it describes as, the largest organic-focused store in Paris, at 101 rue de Sèvres. The store is about 750 sq. m and stocks about 10,000 SKUs from specialty and small producers, including products able to be bought in bulk. A central area is dedicated to fruits and vegetables, a butcher’s counter and a bakery offer, while elsewhere the retailer offers a wide range of wines and cosmetics products.

…And the first Bio in Belgium

Carrefour will open its first Bio store in Belgium on 12 July in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, a municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region. Although the retailer’s organic range has been available in its other formats, this is the first time it will operate a standalone Bio store in the country. The Bio in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert is set to be the first of two or three that are likely to be opened in 2019. Meanwhile, the retailer has stated a long-term aim to operate 30 company owned stores under the banner, with more franchised locations able to be added as well.

Carrefour Brazil aiming to benefit from future growth

Carrefour Brazil recently announced plans to increase its organic product offer by 85% in 2019. It is looking to reach this target by working with new suppliers, expanding its organic assortment and by promoting organic products through its My Carrefour app.

For more on Carrefour Brazil’s strategy, see our news story on how retailers are putting an increased focus on healthy and organic food in Brazil.

Carrefour expands organic and health-oriented range in Spain

Carrefour Spain stocks more than 2,200 SKUs as part of its organic, vegan and vegetarian offer. According to the retailer, the breadth of range means that about 20% of its shoppers buy one item from this part of its offer on an on-going basis. As part of its aim to meet shoppers’ growing interest in the products, Carrefour said it had added further SKUs to its Carrefour Veggie brand, including gluten-free ice cream.

As Casino continues to evolve in France, we round up news from the retailer.

President sees no need for ‘major’ sales in France

After a period of disposals in France and changes in Latin America, Casino’s president, Jean-Charles Naouri, has been quoted as saying there are unlikely to be any ‘major disposals in the retailer’s home market. The statement comes after speculation suggested Casino could be looking to sell Monoprix or Cdiscount. Naouri did confirm the sale of further stores in the country, but that these would be limited in nature.

Casino trials subscription service for food offer

According to reports, Casino is trialing subscription-driven discounts in its hypermarkets and supermarkets in France. For €10, shoppers can benefit from a permanent 10% discount on all purchases, excluding those made through its Drive format and Cdiscount banner and of jewellery, parapharmacy and fuel. Shoppers can access the service through the Casino Max app. If the trial is successful it is expected that it could be extended to Casino’s other banners, such as Leader Price.

As part of separate initiatives, both reported by trade publication Lineaires, Auchan is set to develop shop-in-shop solutions for non-grocery ranges, while it also halting its brand convergence strategy to maintain the online Chronodrive brand.

Hypermarkets to benefit from Mulliez-owned brands

Lineaires reports that Auchan’s hypermarkets are set to partner with the non-grocery-focused brands of the wider Association Familiale Mulliez organisation to open Electro Dépôt and Boulanger corners. In future Mulliez-owned brands like Decathlon, Kiabi and Norauto could be added to stores too.

The trials will begin from October in two hypermarkets, in Beauvais (Oise) and Bagnolet (Seine Saint Denis). The experiments, which will see a change in the number of people employed in each department, will run for six months to enable the retailer to test the potential advantages of rolling out the initiative more widely.

Chronodrive brand to remain

Despite announcing the convergence of all banners under the Auchan name, both online and offline, Lineaires has said that the company is set to retain the Chronodrive brand. The reports suggest the brand will be preserved due to shoppers’ awareness and loyalty of the Chronodrive name. Lineaires suggests the rebranding of the first Chronodrive to Auchan Drive has led to a fall in shopper loyalty and turnover through the site.