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Carrefour is launching a new concept in its neighborhood stores aimed at older consumers. Under the name Carrefour des Générations, the French retailer aims to strengthen its bond with seniors through tailored products, additional services, and more personalized assistance in-store.
“Seniors’ favorite stores”
The initiative is launching in Carrefour’s French neighborhood formats: Carrefour Express, City, Contact, and Montagne. Carrefour refers to seniors as a “strategic audience” for its neighborhood stores: according to figures from NielsenIQ, the over-60 demographic will account for more than a third of the population by 2060. These consumers already spend 34% of their food budget at neighborhood stores. The retailer therefore aims to capitalize on the rapidly aging population and position itself as “seniors’ favorite chain.”
The program is based on four pillars that Carrefour developed in collaboration with loyal older customers and about twenty test stores. This includes a tailored product range featuring smaller portions, products with enhanced nutritional benefits, and regional products designed to appeal to the palate. Carrefour is also implementing specific signage to help older customers find products more quickly on the shelves.
In addition, store employees will receive extra training to better assist seniors while shopping. To this end, Carrefour is working with a charter of best practices. Employees must more actively help customers with product information, special orders, and assistance while grocery shopping.
Social gathering place
In terms of services, Carrefour is introducing, among other things, free delivery on purchases of 50 euros or more, assistance with signing up for the loyalty program, and additional services such as a mail drop-off point and daily newspapers in select stores.
Finally, Carrefour aims to position neighborhood stores more explicitly as social gathering places. To this end, the retailer is organizing activities such as coffee breaks, tastings, and scavenger hunts to “strengthen social bonds and intergenerational exchanges.”
With this project, Carrefour is bringing a bit more service back to retail, at a time when European supermarket chains are increasingly looking for ways to differentiate themselves from price competition and online players.
