The morale of French households do not appear to promote a clear recovery in consumption. In the first quarter, sales of Casino in France and have fallen 0.9% after falling 2.7% in 2009. Although the strong growth registered by the dealer Etienne abroad (10.2% in the first quarter, after 5% last year) largely offset the decline, the group must respond. Jean-Charles Naouri, its CEO, shares his strategy in an interview with Le Figaro.
LE FIGARO – The morale of your customer shops is it affected by the crisis?
Jean-Charles Naouri – Many signs show that pessimism has worsened. He returned in September 2008, at the peak of the crisis. Because of the crisis of Greek and that of the euro, the fear of losing his job and has increased the concern about the standard of living reached a record high since 2007.The French prefer the job security to their purchasing power and their career. This general pessimism is, however disconnected from the real economy, which seems to gradually resume. The France is no longer in a situation of risk of deflation, interest rates are permanently lower guarantee for the future and the weak euro is an element of revival. The figures, including our own business performance, are better that one or two years.
Consumer behavior changes there?
We found two relatively recent trends: first, in an environment perceived as more complex, consumers no longer want it decides for them. They want to regain control over the quality of products, their origin and value for money in particular.Similarly, while far to the client, other consumers were at best indifferent and at worst seen as troublemakers, he now draws more and more choices to their preferences and ratings. This horizontal communication facilitated by the Internet, this new proximity, we must reflect and inspire us to develop relationships with our customers in and outside the store.
How are you adapting?
We have an edge in this field, for we have long since put its proximity to the heart of our strategy. We could for example indicate, in each point of sale, the preferred products or selling. We already strong commitments on the quality of our products.We reassure our customers, for example about what they buy indicating on the Casino-brand products, in addition to the nutritional use, carbon footprint, or that they are no palm oil and gluten free. We just set up within the group, a Health Committee attended by several senior experts whose mission is to anticipate health issues and help Casino in making choices on offer. We also test innovative book-entry systems allow customers to share their recommendations.
Hypermarkets Géant Casino continue to lose market share.Are they so essential for the massification of procurement and management of shopping malls you plan to transfer them not to invest in your most promising formats nearby?
I believe in small and medium format hypermarkets (6 000-8 000 square meters), which constitute the backbone of malls. I believe in the relevance of non-food offer in textiles, leisure and home furnishings. Casino has no reason to separate from Géant Casino. Our superstores are as profitable as those of our competitors, and we set the target that market share has stabilized Géant Casino this year.Remember, also, that 40% of group turnover from international have a double-digit growth in France and the formats most carriers (Franprix, Monoprix supermarket Casino …) know growth significantly, which boosts the growth of overall revenue of the Casino.
How is the recovery of your brand discount Leader Price, whose sales fell sharply last year?
This is another priority group in France in 2010. We are very pleased with the sales growth in stores converted to the new concept and we accelerate the pace of renovation of retail outlets every week.
Could you introduce CDiscount stock exchange to accelerate the deleveraging of the group?
This is not the agenda.A listing imposes many constraints on management whose priority now is to continue growing at double-digit turnover. We are the leader, but in a very competitive environment.
Can you imagine Rueducommerce complementarities with the site, which Rally has just 8% of capital?
It is a very minority participation, without presence on the board of directors.
Nestle has taken action against Casino, which distributes coffee capsules Nespresso competing …
Making coffee capsules is not allowed! You know, in this area, the magistrate is the customer. He has to decide which coffee is better.It turns out that since our Casino capsules are on sale in the Paris region, the top-selling product in our store … We will soon sell them near St. Stephen and the webcast will be gradually extended throughout our network .
The major French retailers have started savings plans that have a significant impact on their workforce. How do you handle this situation, so that distributors suffer a bad reputation of employers, with a high turnover rate and the employment of older low?
We continue to hire in our stores and discount and the number of tellers has not declined. With hindsight, we can say today that the ticket machines do not destroy jobs. Overall, our social indicators are improving. Absenteeism and turnover have decreased in recent months.This is the result of an ambitious social policy and belief that diversity in all its forms is a chance for the group. Thus, we installed in a series of specific measures to promote gender equality and we are committed to recruit 500 people over the age of 50 over three years. Concerning disability, Casino went beyond the legal quota of 6%, with 9.8% of employees concerned.
Some of your franchisees Franprix remain open illegally on Sundays after 13 hours? Do you think the evolving regulatory environment?
The Casino has always respected the law, including work on Sundays. The cases you refer to only a few franchisees that do not represent the position of the group. However, we intend to respect the law and they have made it very firmly.This issue is societal debate but attitudes and practices are changing.
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