Groupe Casino: Creation of the Aura Retail alliance

PRESS RELEASE 23 September 2024

Creation of the Aura Retail alliance:
Intermarché, Auchan and Casino set up long-term
purchasing partnership

Intermarché, Auchan and Casino¹ have cemented their long-term purchasing partnership with the creation of the Aura Retail alliance. This alliance comprises five operational structures offering purchasing partnerships between the three groups for a period of 10 years.

At a time when purchasing power remains the number-one concern for the French, and as we emerge from a period of high inflation, the Aura Retail alliance and its five operating structures will capitalize on the strengths and complementarities of Intermarché-Netto, Auchan and Casino to strengthen the weight of the three groups in commercial negotiations with major manufacturers.

The Aura Retail structures will also offer additional development and innovation opportunities to other manufacturers with whom the three groups have long-standing partnerships.

For food purchases, Aura Retail will be made up of three central purchasing units managed by Intermarché:

Aura Retail Achats Alimentaires will operate purchasing synergies for some 200 national brand FMCG manufacturers for the Intermarché-Netto, Auchan and Casino banners. The company, based in Massy (91), will be managed by Emmanuel Lavit (Chairman) and Frederic Lecoq (CEO).

Aura Retail International Food Services will negotiate international services with major multinational industrial groups and offer synergies in the many European countries where the partners are based (Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania and Hungary). The Brussels-based company will be managed by Jean-Baptiste Berdeaux (Chairman of the Board) and Olivier Mercier (CEO).

Aura Retail Private Label will enable European food manufacturers marketing private labels to benefit from more efficient market access via joint tender offer by Intermarché, Auchan and Casino groups. The company, based in Massy (91), will be managed by Emmanuel Lavit (Chairman), Jérôme Dumont (Operations Director) and Corinne Aubry-Lecomte (General Secretary).

For non-food purchases of national brands, two structures have been set up by Aura Retail and managed by Auchan:

Aura Retail Achats Non Alimentaires will offer synergies to the 100 largest manufacturers selling national non-food brands. The company, based in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, will be headed by Stéphane Boennec (Chairman), and Isabelle Saluden (CEO).

Aura Retail International Non-Food Services will market international services to leading multinational non-food manufacturers. The Luxembourg-based company will be managed by Arnaud Bricmont (Chairman of the Board) and Dimitri Proskurovsky (CEO).

Finally, on the private-label non-food perimeter, the 3 groups will massify their purchases via the existing "OIA" (Organisation Intragroupe des Achats) central purchasing unit, a subsidiary of Auchan. This company, which already buys private-label non-food ranges for all countries where Auchan is present, will be able to accept business volumes from Intermarché and Casino as part of joint tender offer.

These partnerships are built in strict compliance with applicable competition law and regulations. They have been submitted to the relevant competition authorities and employee representative bodies.

Each partner retains full independence in terms of its commercial, pricing and promotional policies, as well as in terms of store network development.

About Groupement Les Mousquetaires

Founded in 1969, the Les Mousquetaires Group brings together more than 3,000 independent entrepreneurs and 150,000 employees, serving the performance of over 4,000 local sales outlets in France, Belgium, Poland and Portugal. At the head of their outlets, Mousquetaires entrepreneurs form a group of entrepreneurs involved in the socio-economic fabric of their territories. To meet the needs of the Intermarché, Netto (food); Bricomarché, Brico Cash, Bricorama (household equipment); Roady and Rapid Pare-Brise (mobility) banners, the Group has its own support services (integrated logistics bases, purchasing services, real estate, etc.), as well as an agri-food division with nearly 60 plants, all located in France. To find out more Mousquetaires.com X Mousquetaires
About Auchan Retail

As a multi-format and phygital retailer, Auchan brings together all the formats of the physical food trade (hypermarkets, local and ultra-local) and digital (drives, home delivery, click&collect) to offer its customers a pleasurable shopping experience and a unique, fair and responsible offer. To make life easier, Auchan puts people at the heart of everything it does: accessible prices, choice and diversity of offer, quality of service. A responsible economic player, Auchan supports agriculture and the agri-food industry by acting as close as possible to the regions through the 54,714 employees of its 630 sales outlets. In 2023, the company recorded over 340 million visits to its stores and e-commerce sites. To follow us: www.auchan-retail.fr - Twitter @auchannews - LinkedIn Auchan Retail

About Groupe Casino

Groupe Casino is a key player in the French retail market, with over 8,600 stores*. The leading convenience retailer with 6,300 stores in this format, it is also No. 2 in non-food e-commerce with its Cdiscount brand. The Group has built up a portfolio of solid, dynamic and complementary brands thanks to a workforce of over 44,000 people driven by their passion for retail and customer service and has generated net sales of 9 billion euros by 2023. With a clear vision of the changes taking place in the sector, its ambition is to accelerate the transformation of retailing. This is why all the Group's retail activities are positioned in the formats of the future: convenience, premium and e-commerce. *Data at 12/31/23

Auchan Retail Press Contacts
Marie Vanoye
07 64 49 78 06 - [e-mail]
Véronique Rétaux (Presse & Cie)
06 30 07 93 35 -
[e-mail]

Mousquetaires Press Contacts
Press Service: [e-mail]
Michelle Kamar
06 09 24 42 42 - [e-mail]
Charlotte Rabilloud
06 62 03 28 34 - [e-mail]

Casino Press Contacts
Stéphanie ABADIE:
[e-mail]
[phone]
[e-mail]
Tél: + 33(0)1 53 65 24 78