Casino has reported FY 2018 net sales of €36.6bn, up 4.7% on an organic basis and 3.0% on a same-store basis. Q4 2018 net sales were €9.9bn, up 5.1% on an organic basis and 3.6% on a same-store basis.

France: protests causing a Q4 sales slowdown

In Casino’s home market, Q4 2018 sales rose by 1.4% overall, up 0.2% on an organic basis and 0.5% on a same-store basis. FY 2018 sales increased by 1.4% overall, up 1.2% on an organic basis and 1.3% on a same-store basis. Casino attributed the Q4 slowdown to the ‘yellow vest’ protests in France during the period. Its convenience store network and presence in inner cities helped to minimise the effect of the protest and traffic roadblocks. Read the retailer's Q3 results here.

Source: Casino

Source: Casino

 

Monoprix

 

• Double-digit growth in ecommerce sales; ecommerce accounted for 18% of activity in France in Q4 2018, driven by Amazon Prime Now and the Monoprix.fr fashion business
• Good momentum in food, with sales of organic products up 13% in Q4 2018
• 12 new stores opened in Q4 2018, 9 of which under the Naturalia banner

Casino supermarkets

• New concept stores helping growth, with the first 24/7 store opened in Lyon
• 20% increase in organic product sales

Franprix

• Sales impacted by the drop in tourism throughout December
• It is continuing to innovate with food-to-go
• The “le drugstore parisien” concept is performing well, and enhanced it beauty offer

Géant hypermarkets

• One third of the network was affected by the social unrest at the end of the year, negatively impacting total sales
• 21% growth in organic products
• The shift to digital was accelerated, with its drive-through store network expanded

Convenience

• The development of fresh and organic ranges aided sales growth

Leader Price

• 112 stores have been refurbished, boosting same-store sales
• The development of fresh market areas and other successful marketing initiatives also helped to grow sales

Cdiscount increasing net sale

Expanding its marketplace was a priority in Q4 2018. Marketplace and direct sales were both up in Q4 2018 compared to the same period last year. Website traffic, mobile traffic contribution, and active customers all increased in the quarter compared to 2017. Cdiscount also registered a record Black Friday performance.

Latin America positive organic and same-store growth

Sales rose by 10% on an organic basis and 6% on a same-store basis in Q4 2018. Hyperinflation and a negative currency affected consolidated net sales. Both GPA Food and Éxito Group increased their organic and same-store sales. GPA Food’s growth was driven by a continued increase in volumes and customer traffic at Assaí, whilst renovations at its other banners improved same-store sales.

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France-based, Casino-owned Cnova has released its financial results for FY2018. It has reported net sales of €2.2bn, driven by organic growth of 5.1%. The increase in organic sales was supported, it said, by the development of showroom revenues.

GMV: 9.3% increase to €3.6bn

Cnova reported an increase in gross merchandise volume (GMV) organic growth of 9.3% to €3.6bn. The retailer noted ‘organic growth accelerated throughout the year’, rising from 6.1% in Q1 to 11.9% in Q4. The pace of growth and its advancement through the year sets it up positively for 2019. Cnova attributes the growth to a positive contribution from its marketplace and the addition of Cdiscount corners in Géant hypermarkets.

Marketplace GMV: +12.3% to €1.1bn

Marketplace GMV grew by 12.3% in 2018 bringing its total GMV share to 34.3%. There was also a 37% growth in SKUs, which reached 48m by the end of 2018. Marketplace vendor services more than doubled in 2018 and now cover more than 25% of Cdiscount’s vendor base. GMV fulfilled by Cdiscount increased by 63%.

Cdiscount developed its loyalty programme…

Cdiscount’s loyalty programm3, Cdiscount à Volonté (CDAV), launched a new package in Q1 2018, which saw membership increase by 23%. CDAV-eligible SKUs increased by 14% to 281,000 by the end of December 2018.

…And opened 45 new Cdiscount corners in Géant hypermarkets

Elsewhere in the business, 45 new Cdiscount corners were opened in Géant hypermarkets, bringing the total to 49. Showrooms were also opened on the Champs-Elysées in Paris in early October 2018. Cdiscount has expanded its delivery service to cover more countries through European partnership marketplaces. It now delivers to 19 countries in Europe.

…As well as holding two major events

The banner held events for its 20-year Anniversary and for Black Friday in Q4 2018. Black Friday alone generated €57m GMV in one day with a peak of 23,000 visits per minute. Both events contributed to the 11.9% GMV organic growth in Q4 2018.

Commenting on the results, CEO Emmanuel Grenier said, “These strong results illustrate the relevance of our strategy, which reinforce our positioning as the leading French e-merchant. Building on our 2018 successes, we are now looking forward in 2019 to reinforce our growth and our profitability”.

For more on online, subscribers can see all our insights on the channel on the hub page.

France-based, Casino-owned Monoprix is set to stop printing its weekly catalogue to become more environmentally friendly.

Monoprix rethinks communication strategy…

The retailer has said that more than 20 billion catalogues are printed in France annually. Monoprix will discontinue the printing of its 30 million brochures, which it says corresponds to 2,400 tons of paper. The decision will help to reduce the retailer’s ecological footprint and cut costs.

Instead the retailer will focus on digital communication. A switch to digital catalogues will also enable Monoprix to tailor its communication to customers to provide a more personal experience. Messages will be made via the Monoprix & moi mobile app, specialised websites and partner applications.

…As part of its social responsibility

Commenting on the announcement, Florence Chaffiotte, marketing and innovation director at Monoprix, said, “I welcome this decision, which reinforces our position of social responsibility and brand preference”.

Doing good is good business is one of the key trends we have highlighted as part of our Western Europe outlook for 2019. Subscribers can read the whole presentation here.