Intermarché

French retail groups Casino and Intermarché will not only purchase together, but will also develop digital services and produce private labels. It is the start of a redrawing of the French - and European - purchasing landscape.

As retail alliance AgeCore breaks up, a movement of alliances in food retail is imminent. This could lead to a further spread of unfair trading practices in the EU, brand manufacturers fear.

The future of European retail alliance AgeCore is highly uncertain now that German supermarket chain Edeka is cancelling its membership. One of the reasons is a lawsuit in France about possible abuse of power. 

In France, the buying centres of Intermarché are accused of "abusive commercial practices". The Ministry of Economy is taking the distributor to court, thereby potentially undermining the operation of alliances such as Agecore. 

Intermarché, Auchan and Carrefour facilitate access to their digital platforms and pick-up points for small independent retailers affected by the new lockdown. They are doing this out of solidarity, but also out of self-interest, of course.

Belgian supermarket chain Colruyt is taking a stand against one of its biggest suppliers: empty spaces on the beverage shelves are appearing where products from Coca-Cola used to be. This is the result of an escalating conflict between the soft drinks producer and European purchasing alliance Agecore. What is going on in the background?

The Paris Commercial Court ruled in interim measures that Coca-Cola must immediately resume deliveries to Intermarché. The beverage giant had stopped it after a conflict with the supermarket chain about the range.