French grocery retail giants Carrefour and Coopérative U (formerly known as Système U) have joined forces to establish a new European buying alliance called Concordis.
The two firms stated that the alliance aims to “increase the purchasing competitiveness of its partners by pooling volumes, ultimately benefiting consumers”. It will operate under a dual scope: negotiating purchase prices and offering international services.
Headquartered in Brussels, Concordis will “engage with multinational suppliers of branded goods” in the European countries where Carrefour and Coopérative U operate.
The alliance will commence with supplier negotiations in 2026 and will initially run for a six-year term. It hopes to attract other European retailers, with discussions already underway.
A statement from the two retailers said the alliance will “promote fair and transparent relationships with suppliers, based on the mutual development of business plans and with strong consideration for the overall balance of agri-food supply chains.”
Carrefour and Coopérative U stressed that the partnership has been developed in compliance with competition law. They plan to notify the French Competition Authority (Autorité de la Concurrence) about the alliance by the end of this month, with it then seeking approval from the relevant governing bodies of both groups.
Carrefour and Coopérative U also announced their intention to cooperate in additional areas in the future. This includes private label products, where they will explore the opportunity to launch joint auctions on standard consumer goods, while maintaining full autonomy on their differentiated products. For non-food items, Carrefour said it may share its expertise with Coopérative U, particularly in the textile sector.
Meanwhile, in digital, Coopérative U plans to enter into an agreement with Unlimitail – the joint venture between Publicis and Carrefour – to develop its Retail Media strategy.
“With the creation of Concordis, we are taking a decisive step towards building a next-generation buying alliance,” said Alexandre BOMPARD, Chairman and CEO of Carrefour.
“In an environment marked by increasing industrial consolidation and the growing power of purchasing platforms, it is our responsibility to offer an ambitious response. This alliance, built on increased purchasing volumes, direct negotiation, and the offer of international services, strengthens our purchasing competitiveness to the benefit of our customers.”
He added: “Through this partnership, we are becoming the number one purchasing force in France – and equipping ourselves to become the leader at the European level. Together with Coopérative U, we share a clear ambition: to build an open alliance, designed from the outset to welcome other European retailers.”
Dominique SCHELCHER, CEO of Coopérative U, commented: “For Coopérative U, this plan to build a new European buying alliance addresses the competitiveness challenges of the French retail market. It is built on a strong and ambitious partnership with Carrefour and is intended, in the long term, to welcome other European retail partners to further pool purchasing volumes.
“With Concordis, we will enhance our competitiveness in support of our customers’ purchasing power. This project is fully aligned with our CAP 15 strategy and will be a key tool in reaching our 15% market share target by 2030.”
NAM Implications:
- More buying muscle, in any language…
- …for starters.
- Key now for suppliers to harmonise and obvious price & terms anomalies…
