Groupe Auchan

Brief History:
Groupe Auchan SA is a retailing company, based in France. It was founded
in 1961 and is mainly engaged in operating a chain of hypermarkets and
supermarkets. Operating in 17 countries, Auchan Retail comprises all food
retail formats, with 969 hypermarkets and 2,612 supermarkets and
convenience stores under the Auchan banner, e-commerce activity and
drive outlets. To build a successful and modern business model, Auchan
Retail ensures that its customers are always central to its policies:
discount prices, a varied and diversified offering, quality of service,
adaptation to local markets, and monitoring of multi-channel shopping
trends. It is the third-largest French employer in the world, with an
employee headcount of 332,900.
The hypermarkets offer a wide high-quality assortment of food
products for every pocket. The ranges include national brands, regional
products, Auchan products and value lines such as the Groups own
products. The hypermarkets are also working to reinforce their non-food
ranges in certain sectors, with the aim of becoming market leaders.
The strong discount policy is based on a strengthened offering of low-cost
products. In six countries (France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Poland and
Hungary), self-discount sections bring together the most economic
products in the hypermarket, in particular sold as bulk items.
The selection, testing and quality of products are governed by strict
requirements. Food safety remains a constant priority, to ensure that
customers can trust in our products.
The chain works closely with local producers and SMEs and offers regional
or farm-sourced product ranges.
Innovative services
Customer expectations evolve, and so do our products and services. From
photo developers and health & beauty spaces to jewellers and opticians,

the in-store offering has diversified and been enriched with intangible
services such as travel, insurance, ticket sales, telephony, financial
products, and the Rik & Rok club for children (in Portugal, France and
Spain).
Meanwhile, waiting time has become a key factor in consumers choice of
store, and so the hypermarkets have adopted new checkout
systems (Caisse Minute, RapidAuchan) in addition to the standard tills in
order to handle peak periods more efficiently.
To deliver still further efficiency for the customer, Auchan is developing
mobile applications with the goal of enabling customers to find all the
information they need about the hypermarket and the products sold, in
order to facilitate their visit to the store.
Company Timeline:
1961: Grard Mulliez opens the first store in Roubaix (Northern France), in
the Hauts Champs district, from which the company takes its name.
1967: First Auchan hypermarket opens in Roncq (Northern France).
1969: From hypermarket to shopping centre: the Englos mall (close to
Lille, Northern France) brings together 30 shops a first for Europe.
1976: Creation of Immochan, the Groups real estate subsidiary.
1977: Employee share ownership scheme launched in France.
1981: Beginnings of international growth, with the creation of Alcampo in
Spain.
1989: Auchan crossed the Alps and opens its first hypermarket in Italy.
1996: A year of historic expansion:

Buy-out of Docks de France : hypermarkets under Mammouth

banner in France, supermarkets under Atac banner in France and Sabeco
banner in Spain.

Buy-out of Pao de Aucar, owning Jumbo supermarkets in

Portugal.

Hypermarkets are inaugurated in Poland and Luxembourg.

1997: Partnership with Rinascente Group in Italy and beginning of the

Italian supermarket

business.

1998: Auchan arrives in Hungary.

1999: First hypermarkets open in China. First Les Halles dAuchan
discount store in France.
2000: Auchan France creates Auchan Drive, a drive-through service.
2001: Alliance with RT Mart in China; acquisition of RT Mart hypermarkets
in Taiwan. First supermarkets in Poland.
Beginnings of e-commerce, with the opening of the webstore
Auchandirect, serving the Paris region and Banque Accord opens in Poland
and Spain.
2002: First Auchan hypermarkets in Russia.
2003: Banque Accord opens for business in Italy and Hungary.
2004: Legal restructuring of the Group into 4 divisions: hypermarkets,
supermarkets, Banque Accord and Immochan.
2005: Creation of the Atak supermarket chain in Russia and Atak in
Poland.
2006: Change of generation at the Group supervisory board: Vianney
Mulliez takes over from Grard Mulliez. Creation of Auchan Tlcom.
Partnership in Romania: opening of an Auchan hypermarket. Creation of
Banque Accord subsidiaries in China and in Romania.
2007: In Portugal, the online sales site @Jumbo opens.
2008: Opening of Ukraines first Auchan hypermarket, in Kiev.
2009: The Simply Market chain completes its rollout in France, Italy, Spain
and Poland.
2010: Creation of a fifth business line dedicated to E-commerce.
2011: Groupe Auchan celebrates is first 50 years.
2012: Growth goes on: signature of a partnership in Tunisia with SMG;
acquisition of the 95 Real hypermarkets in Eastern Europe from METRO
GROUP.

2013: Integration of the Real hypermarkets in Ukraine, Russia and

Romania.
2014: Integration of the Real hypermarkets in Poland. Signature with CT
Group of a partnership agreement in Vietnam.
2015: Groupe Auchan is reorganized and becomes Auchan Holding,
organised around Auchan Retail, Immochan and Oney Banque Accord.
Turnover of the Groupe Auchan for the last five years:
Year

2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

Turnover(m
illion Euros)

42492
44373
46931
48077
53454
54232

Domestic(Fr
ance)

19559
19956
20429
20642
20280
19724

Internation
al
Western
Europe
excluding
Rest of
Eliminati
France
World
ons
11671
11763
-501
11860
13060
-503
11788
15250
-536
11036
16939
-540
10371
23416
-613
9954
25163
-610