French retail group Auchan has launched a new type of urban convenience stores, called MyAuchan. The ambition is to merge physical and digital retail into “phygital”, adding hospitality features.
Store with consumption area
It is a trend for retailers to develop new convenience store formulas, particularly in major cities, that explicitly meet commuters’ and locals’ daily or immediate needs. This leads to brands with retail, services and hospitality features, like Carrefour’s Bon’App formula in France or Belgium’s new Carrefour Express formula. Auchan labels it as “ultra proximity”, which takes form and shape in its MyAuchan formula.
The very first one opened in Paris late 2016: a 298 sqm store had about 5,500 low-priced products, all focused on grocery, lunch or snack breaks and daily services. MyAuchan has a consumption area with a fruit juice press, Nespresso coffee machine, drinking fountain, microwave and grill. Customers can sit down for a bite to eat, read the paper, charge their laptop or smartphone and use the wifi. The bakery plays an important role, just like the sushi booth. MyAuchan also has a range of services: dry-cleaning, photo development, postal service… open from 7h until 22h.
There are currently five MyAuchan stores in France, with the most recent addition in Lille on 1 December. Just like with the first location, this was a remodeled A2 Pas convenience store and Auchan aims to harmonize its store formulas under one brand. This store is slightly larger than the first one: 427 sqm with 7,200 products. Auchan is also trialing the formula in Portuguese capital Lisbon (with three stores right now).
Physical and digital
MyAuchan targets a phygital formula and aims to combine the best of physical (proximity, attractiveness, store fun, service, …) with digital trade’s flexibility. That is why shoppers will get a pillar in stores that accesses its web shops auchan.fr and auchandirect.fr. They can track their online order, have it delivered in cooled lockers, but the store also brings orders to their door step by bike.
It is not a surprise that its brand is named after the group’s smartphone app (an app that has now been turned into Auchan again). The chain is now also trialing an application that allows customers to scan groceries with a smartphone, like Amazon. There would also be a mobile checkout option (like competitor Monoprix does for instance). Nevertheless, both are not as far-reaching as Amazon Go’s “just walk out” formula.
