And to Ecully whose sales are higher than 14

After Carrefour Contact, City, Market... here is Carrefour Planet, ultimate stage of the so-called policy of "convergence" initiated by José Luis Duran, the previous pattern of number two world of distribution. For his successor since early 2009, Lars Olofsson, the administrator Director General of the group, this must be the fatal weapon to restart its hypermarkets in "mature", where they are punishment for years ("Les Echos" from August 25), to begin with the France but also Belgium, Spain and Italy.

Carrefour pattern remained stingy figures Tuesday evening, during the opening of a first two stores pilot to Ecully (Rhône). On the investment that on the lower prices - for more than 10,000 products of high consumption (CMP), is it announced - both, the number of references or still on the pace of deployment of the sign, he seemed to want to reserve these information analysts invited in the Lyon region on 16 September. However, Lars Olofsson left no doubt on the willingness of the group to go fast from the beginning of next year, in the "roll out" of the new concept to all of the "eligible stores", which some 200 in France.

"Project Lighthouse".

Concentrated more conclusive tests for ten to twelve months in different points of sale, these drivers are indeed "one of the transformation of the Group flagship projects", said Lars Olofsson.

In fact, investors expect crossroads demonstration of its ability to revive its historic trades on its market domestic, major contributors to the results of the group.

Ecully, in a Lyon suburb rather grouse, as in Venissieux, most popular, the Distributor has been significant choices. In the food part: with a real "market" area, where fresh products are presented in their crates with a setting in front of local producers; the emphasis here on products bio, here on the first Carrefour Discount price; over-representation of the Carrefour brand in some families of products, the manufacturers number one in others. Finally, a box frozen furiously evoking a Picard store. The non-food portion is, it suggests at a department store or at a succession of large specialized surfaces. Until a shop Virgin, tested in the store of Venissieux and the results of which will be confronted with those of the culture of the Ecully RADIUS deciding a possible deployment.

Buzz on the Internet

A choice which will be probably crucial in the perception of the crossroads sign. "They have opened the doors to the marks", said Lambert Lagrevol, Director of the "retail" of the society of Lyon studies Enov Research Department.

From there to translate that the Distributor gave them the keys, there is a step that some of the first customers of the Ecully store crossed. "This is not Carrefour Planet, is Carrefour Planet Coca!", thus could it hear. In fact, the pervasiveness of Coca-Cola is striking, to entries in the store (with such a unique machine in France used refrigerated bottles sent by tyre) and Ray, where Pepsi Cola, reduced to the minimum portion, seems close to the door.

L ' Oréal, space beauty whose atmosphere is close to specialists such as Sephora and Marionnaud, or even Apple, whose shop in Ecully already creating buzz on the Internet with comments of the kind: "well, but it should be the Apple sellers with!", Mark also of their footprint the new hub world. According to our information, the Distributor would negotiate further with SFR for telephony and Micromania for video games.

Purchase experiences

All the challenge for Carrefour has also sacrificed whole Ray, DIY, auto, large appliances, drastically reduced its offer in some families of products to improve the comfort of purchase (wider aisles, lower furniture,... sophisticated lighting) or develop new services (sushi bar, cafeteria Segafredo, day care for children...), is to attract new customers and to bring its own customers to multiply their experiences of purchases to increase traffic and the amount of the average basketanalysis of Enov Research expert.

Tests on the new textile space generated a growth of 30 of the turnover, tells the "Echos" Lars Olofsson. And, to Ecully, whose sales are higher than 14.500 EUR 100 million m2, the objective, according to a framework of Carrefour, is to increase from 5 to 10 the traffic. In the light of the long queues that already existed prior to the coffers of this store, Enov Research expert believes that this will be not easy.