Intermarché, Auchan and Casino have announced the creation of the Aura Retail alliance, which comprises five operational structures offering purchasing partnerships between the three French supermarket giants for a period of 10 years.
The group noted that at a time when purchasing power remains the number-one concern for consumers as the economy emerges from a period of high inflation, the Aura Retail alliance aims to capitalise on the combination of Intermarché-Netto, Auchan and Casino to strengthen their power in commercial negotiations with major manufacturers.
The Aura Retail structures will also offer additional development and innovation opportunities to 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 offers 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).
Meanwhile, 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 market, the three groups will maximise their purchasing power 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 offers.
The group noted that the partnerships are built in strict compliance with applicable competition law and regulations. Each partner will also retain full independence in terms of its commercial, pricing and promotional policies, as well as in terms of store network development.
