Food
French retail giants Auchan, Casino and Schiever have agreed to form a new purchase alliance with German Metro, named Horizon. This new alliance will allow the chains to coordinate purchases both inside France and abroad.
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Fashion
French baby and children store chain Orchestra-Prémaman has found an agreement with its most important creditors to delay the refunding of debts by two years.
General
French entertainment and electro chain Fnac Darty is looking into the possibilities of saving toy store chain La Grande Récré, despite current owner Ludendo's plans to reboot the struggling chain.
Belgian pet shop chain Tom&Co continues its expansion in France with the opening of its 25th French store in Nantes. With a new concept, the chain hopes to be able to quickly expand to 100 stores in France.
If the French government get their way, the Hexagon will soon introduce a tax on e-commerce. Products would become 1 to 2 % more expensive, depending on the distance of the last delivery.
Electronics
BackMarket, a French start-up that wants to be a marketplace for refurbished smart phones, tablets and laptops, has secured a 41 million euro investment. The most famous new investor is Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury group LVMH.
French chains Carrefour en Système U have agreed upon a five year partnership for purchases of large national and international brands, forming France's largest purchase alliance. According to both, the French agricultural sector should also benefit from the collaboration.
Are the best days over for hard discount as a format? French price breaker Leader Price, Groupe Casino's hard discount chain, is yet another chain that changes its course: "Low prices are not sufficient any more. Old style discounting is dead."
While more than 2000 jobs are cut as Carrefour closes 243 stores, former CEO Georges Plassat has received a bonus of almost a million euro because of his "good results". The trade unions are not amused, Carrefour France has seen better days...
French supermarket group Intermarché will launch a new store for seniors, called “Bien Chez Moi”, which will combine products and services fit for an older clientele.
Carrefour has not found a buyer for hundreds of its former Dia stores in France yet. That may force nearly 230 stores to shut down.
The French government plans to impose a ban on the disposal or destruction of unsold clothing by fashion companies. The measure extends the rules already in place for food waste to the spillage of clothing.
French luxury group Kering achieved a 36.5 % turnover increase in its first quarter as Gucci took full advantage of a 90’s revival among young consumers: the luxury brand is “hot” among teens and saw its turnover climb 48.7 %.
Electronics group Fnac Darty has achieved a small turnover growth in the first quarter of 2018. The group also says it took major steps in its recovery plan: before the end of 2018, it seeks 130 million euro in synergies.
French food giant Danone’s first quarter was an impressive one: like-for-like turnover grew 4.9 %, its best performance in the past five years.
The French e-commerce market has seemingly opened up a new area of competition: Carrefour and E.Leclerc have both opened so-called “drives piéton”, pick-up locations for pedestrians in urban centers.
