Supermarket Système U to join Big Three by 2016

Serge Papin, CEO of French supermarket chain Système U, gives himself five years to reach a market share of 12%. By 2016, Papin wants to break into the French “big three” (Carrefour, Leclerc, Auchan).

600 new stores

By the end of this year, Système U should have a 10% share already, but Papin told newspaper Journal du Dimanche that he would need at least 2000 stores to reach the new target, meaning that about 600 new ones should be built. Papin points out that he is aiming for corner stores, rather than the typically French hypermarkets, which – according to him – are no longer suited for our modern way of living.

Expanded Telemarket opens

Today the new “Telemarket powered by Système U” opens its virtual doors: the online supermarket serving Paris will offer 10,000 products (about 50% more than before its takeover by Système U) and is looking forward towards expanding into Lille, Marseille and Bordeaux. “We want to be profitable by next year and double the number of orders to one million”, says Papin. He aims to attract 2000 extra employees in 2011 alone.