Who are we?
We are a global, family group, a people-centred, successful company, a historic distributor and a next-generation retailer: we are Auchan Retail.
Our company
The mission of the men and women at Auchan Retail is to ensure that everyone around us can live better. Through our Vision 2032 – “Eat well and live better while preserving the planet” – we want to build a better, more empathic world. With strong ties to the daily life of our locations, we observe a changing world and its evolving needs. We see how much our customers, partners, suppliers and employees expect new practices. They rely on Auchan Retail – on us – to support them.
As a retailer committed to good, healthy and local products, we give true meaning to the profession. We reaffirm our brand’s commitment via demanding, sustainable, balanced and fair agricultural partnerships that share value with producers, as well as responsible and caring behaviours. We share the vision of a retail business where caring for people and their environment is more important than anything.
Our key figures
12
Countries
2354
points of sale under the Auchan banner
153 965
employees
32,3 billion
of consolidated revenue excluding taxes
1,1 billion
of EBITDA
*Key numbers at 31/12/2023
The Auchan 2032 Vision
#LivingBetter
The Auchan 2032 Vision is the benchmark for any action or strategy. Its mission and its promise are grounded in a simple credo: “To eat well and live better while protecting the planet”.
Eating well
We believe in the Good, the Healthy, and the Local
Food is at the heart of Auchan's mission, and we continue to be committed to Good, Healthy and Local food -- our way of summing up the unique commitment we have made. We give priority to local produce, which is good for the diet and for health, but also tasty and high quality, all at the right price. We showcase our “Cultivons le bon” (“Cultivate the Good”) product lines.
“Eating well” also means eating “with awareness”: knowing why we choose a product and understanding its characteristics, qualities or origin. We provide support to citizens and consumers by giving them clear, educational product information that helps guide their choices. We contribute to the food sovereignty of the countries where we operate.
Living Better
We are building a more caring world
“Life” is intrinsic to Auchan’s history. With our long-standing values and family culture, and our positive mindset, we contribute in a wider sense to building a more caring world where everyone finds their place.
Every day, our collective of committed citizens at the heart of agile, networked organisations strives towards this goal. We work as closely as possible with residents and local communities, as active participants in “living spaces”. Everyone expresses their talents with emotion, humanity, and a sense of responsibility.
We help our customers consume less but better by offering them a responsible range of food and non-food products at the best prices. We protect their purchasing power while standing together with our suppliers – the farmers, first and foremost – by offering them profitable, fair collaborations. This means that they, in turn, can also live better.
Preserving our world
We want the planet to live better
In a constantly changing world, Auchan has a huge part to play by enabling everyone, including the planet, to live better.
Achieving a more caring, healthier world, more breathable world means that Auchan has to fight on many fronts. Our priorities are preserving biodiversity and soil regeneration; fighting global warming; reducing plastic pollution and our daily carbon footprint; and combating food waste.
Vision 2032 “Eat well and live better while preserving the planet” reveals the desire for positive action: to build a more empathic world. An improvement eagerly awaited by all, a much-needed betterment that enables us to reaffirm the meaning of our business.
Our values
Trust
It is the key to effective, caring and meaningful collaboration for all. In an ever-changing world, trust is what drives us to build rich, lasting relationships every day.
Excellence
Passion for products, services and relationships. Demanding the best of ourselves and others. We are guided by excellence: we are not satisfied with doing better, we aim to offer the best to everyone.
Openness
Openness is a state of mind that makes all the difference and makes change possible. Curiosity, enthusiasm, the ability to challenge ourselves to invent the business of tomorrow, the one that will change the lives of the 8 billion people on the planet.
Our history
For 55 years, we have been creating a history of everyday life, fuelled by our passion for service, products and customer satisfaction and we are inventing next-generation retailing the world over.
1960s, launch in the North of France
Gérard Mulliez opened the first Auchan store in Roubaix, naming the company after the “Hauts Champs” neighbourhood where it was located.
First Auchan hypermarket opened in Roncq (North of France).
First shopping centre opened in Englos (Lille). The shopping mall featured 30 stores, a first in Europe.
1970s, growth in France
Creation of Immochan, Groupe Auchan's real-estate subsidiary.
Launch of the employee shareholding scheme in France.
1980s, the start of international expansion
- Start of Groupe Auchan's international expansion.
- 1st Alcampo store opened in Spain.
The robin nesting in Auchan's A became the company's symbol. This was the birth of “Vie Auchan”.
Creation of Groupe Auchan's banking subsidiary, Banque Accord.
Auchan opened its first hypermarket in Italy.
1990s, growth gains speed
A year of historic growth with 3 key events:
- Acquisition of Docks de France, the company that owned the Mammouth hypermarkets and Atac supermarkets in France, and Sabeco supermarkets in Spain.
- Acquisition of Pao de Açucar, the owner of the Jumbo stores in Portugal.
- Opening of the first hypermarkets in Poland and Luxembourg.
Partnership with the Rinascente Group in Italy and start of the Sma supermarket chain.
Start of Auchan operations in Hungary.
- Auchan opened its first hypermarkets in China.
- Launch of Auchan-branded products.
2000s, 50 years of innovation and expansion
Auchan opened its first click-and-collect outlets.
- Auchan partnered with Ruentex in China and acquired the Taiwanese hypermarkets of RT Mart.
- The first supermarkets opened in Poland with the acquisition of the Billa stores which became Elea.
- Start of online shopping with the launch of auchandirect.fr
Opening of the first Auchan hypermarkets in Russia.
Banque Accord began operating in Italy and Hungary.
- Groupe Auchan reorganised into 4 divisions: hypermarkets, supermarkets, Banque Accord and Immochan.
- Chronodrive opened its first facility in France.
- Launch of the Atak supermarkets in Russia and Poland.
- Opening of Banque Accord's Russian subsidiary, BA Finans.
Generation change in the chairmanship:
- Vianney Mulliez succeeded Gérard Mulliez at the head of the Supervisory Board.
- Creation of auchan.fr
- Opening of the first hypermarket in Romania.
Launch of the Jumbo online shopping website in Portugal.
Launch of the first Auchan hypermarket in Ukraine (Kiev).
Development of the supermarket format in France, Italy, Spain and Poland.
2010s, the fiftieth anniversary decade
Groupe Auchan celebrated its 50th birthday.
- Partnership entered into with SMG in Tunisia.
- Acquisition of 95 Real hypermarkets from METRO GROUP in Central and Eastern Europe.
Integration of the Real hypermarkets in Ukraine, Russia and Romania.
- Integration of the Real hypermarkets in Poland.
- Partnership entered into with CT Group in Vietnam.
Groupe Auchan reorganised to become Auchan Holding, comprising Auchan Retail, Immochan and Oney.
- Launch of the Vision 2025 “Auchan changes lives”
- Development in 2 new countries: Senegal and Tajikistan
- Expansion of multi-format retailing with a single brand per country
- 100th hypermarket opened in Russia
- International launch of the hygiene and beauty brand Cosmia
- The Auchan Youth Foundation celebrated its 20th birthday
- Alibaba Group, Auchan Retail and Ruentex enter into a strategic alliance in China
- 1st Auchan Bio in France
- 1st Auchan Minute in China
- Acquisition of the Ukrainian retailer Karavan
- Launch of the “Campaigners for good, healthy and local products” movement
- All countries become multi-format
- Auchan Retail decides to leave Italy and Vietnam, ceasing operations in these countries. The businesses are sold to local players, who take over all employees.
- One year ahead of schedule, Auchan Retail achieves its carbon footprint reduction targets set in 2015 at COP 21 (-20% compared with 2014)
- Development of the “Auchan 2022” business plan
- Auchan Retail Spain (Alcampo) joins the partnership with Too Good To Go
- Auchan Retail expands its climate commitment by signing the Fashion Pact
- Auchan Retail décide de quitter l’Italie et le Vietnam et cesse ses activités dans ces pays. Elles sont cédées à des acteurs locaux qui reprennent la totalité des collaborateurs.
- Auchan Retail atteint, avec un an d’avance, ses objectifs de réduction de son empreinte carbone fixés en 2015 lors de la COP 21 (-20% par rapport à 2014)
- Elaboration du projet d’entreprise “Auchan 2022”
- Auchan Retail Espagne (Alcampo) rejoint le partenariat avec Too Good To Go
- Auchan Retail s’engage davantage dans la lutte pour le climat en signant le Fashion Pact
The 2020s
- Auchan Retail steps up its commitment to the fight against plastic by signing the European Plastic Pact
- Sale of the Chinese subsidiary SunArt to partner Alibaba. Auchan Retail leaves China
- Partnership signed in Romania with the oil group Petrom to install convenience stores in every service station
- Despite the Covid-19 pandemic impacting business, all stores remain open, allowing people under lockdown to replenish their supplies. Strong growth in curb-side pickup (drive), e-commerce and home delivery.
- Auchan Russia expands its food e-commerce offer by signing a strategic partnership with SberMarket.
- As part of its ongoing multi-format strategy, Auchan Retail opens new local points of sale in France, Portugal and Spain.
- Yves Claude is appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Auchan Retail
- Auchan sets up operations in Côte d’Ivoire, with 9 stores opened in Abidjan in the first year.
- Alcampo buys 224 stores from the Dia Group. The retailer is now present in all of Spain’s autonomous communities, and is even a leader in the autonomous community of Aragon. It consolidates its position as the retailer with the largest sales area in locations such as Zaragoza, La Rioja, Burgos and Teruel.
- With the sale of its business in Taiwan to PX-Mart group, Auchan Retail leaves Asia.
- Auchan Retail takes up the fight against food waste as a way to preserve the planet. The company signs an initial partnership with Smartway to use AI for this purpose.
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Keen on stepping up its position on its strategic markets, Auchan Retail is acquiring 100% of the Dia Group's operations in Portugal, i.e. more than 480 shops. With this acquisition, Auchan Portugal will become the country's leading network in terms of shop numbers and strengthen its multi-format, multi-channel offering.
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The importance of Auchan Retail's undertakings for its people has been reaffirmed and recognised by Top Employer 2024 certification in four countries (France, Spain, Portugal and Romania). The internal Engagement and Satisfaction Barometer shows an average employee engagement rate of 80%, 8 points higher than the average in the European retail sector.
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The international organisation, Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), has validated the objectives of Auchan Retail's 2030 Climate Plan:
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A 46% reduction in emissions caused by its stores (“Scopes 1 and 2”) vs. 2019; i.e. global warming limited to 1.5°C;
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A 25% reduction in emissions caused by its products and transport (“Scope 3”) vs. 2020. i.e. global warming limited to “well below 2°C”.
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The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has given Auchan Retail an B rating for the climate change policy and B- for the Forests policy.
Our governance
Yves Claude
Chairman & CEO