At Auchan, the unions are trembling. Tuesday, according to information revealed by La Lettre, they were summoned by Guillaume Darrasse, the new boss of the northern house. This concerns the CSEs of support functions but also the central CSE of stores and e-commerce. Suffice it to say that Guillaume Darrasse has a lot to say to many interlocutors… Still according to La Lettre, the invitations issued refer to different places, “all over the Lille area, from Marcq-en-Barœul to Neuville-en-Ferrain, sometimes in hotels, and in Chilly-Mazarin for Auchan E-commerce representatives“. As if this were to complicate any gathering of discontent.
If the unions tremble, it is because there are reasons (to tremble). Guillaume Darrasse inherited a company where denial (of difficulties) served as strategy for too long and where social issues were rather preserved, due to the company's culture. But social always catches up with commercial. Sooner or later. For Auchan, it's rather late. Because France's difficulties have, for years, been covered by international activities.
The observation is, however, clear (and had caused VIGIE GRANDE CONSO to ask questions in the spring: “And if Guillaume Darrasse’s mission was to put Auchan on a slimming diet…“): over the last 10 financial years, Auchan France has only presented growing sales once: in 2022, thanks to inflation. But as competitors progressed even further than Maison Mulliez, market share continued its slow decline. And profitability with it.
Since the summer, Auchan France's market share has certainly been growing: +0.7 pt to 9.0% on the P10 Kantar. Problem: this additional turnover comes from the acquisition of hypermarkets and casino superstores which… were not profitable. Suffice to say that the accounts are turning red. And putting them back into the green requires cutting to the chase. For Guillaume Darrasse, the “dirty work” is now… On the other hand, you really had to be very naive not to see it coming. When food sales in “native” hypermarkets (excluding Casino) decline by around 4% (this is the current trend), it is impossible not to understand. Social always catches up with commercial (I'm repeating myself, I know).
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