Many brands are facing serious financial difficulties. And the least we can say is that supermarkets are not spared. Some stores of a large group go elsewhere change ownership in France.
This supermarket brand at its worst
French retail is going through a period of upheaval. In March 2024, the Schiever group, affiliated with Auchan for 27 years, surprised by announcing its departure to consumers.
A decision that came about following major financial difficulties for the multinational. Indeed, it is struggling to maintain its model in a very difficult economic context for everyone.
The question of the future of the Schiever points of sale leaving Auchan remained unresolved for several months. Now things are starting to become clearer little by little. In fact, the stores concerned will not disappear completely.
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In fact, they are just going to change their identity to join the Système U cooperative. As a reminder, it represents the fourth food distribution group in France. This is a change that will happen shortly.
The agreement signed between Schiever and Système U marks an important step for the brand. The latter will be able to consolidate its presence in the central and eastern regions of France. The goal? To strenghten its influence in areas where it was little established.
LSA magazine has published the list of stores affected by this change of brand from March 5. The first thirteen establishments which will become Super U or Hyper U are spread over several departments. This is particularly the case in Nièvre, Côte-d'Or, Moselle and Seine-et-Marne.
The stores concerned
Here are the stores concerned: Avallon (Yonne): Hyper U, Cosne-sur-Loire (Nièvre): Hyper U, Sens (Yonne): Hyper U, Farébersviller (Moselle): Hyper U, Tonnerre (Yonne): Super U, Châtillon -sur-Seine (Côte-d'Or): Super U, La Charité-sur-Loire (Nièvre): Super U.
But also: Ruaudin (Sarthe): Super U, Sennecey (Saône-et-Loire): Super U, Gueugnon (Saône-et-Loire): Super U, Souppes-sur-Loing (Seine-et-Marne): Super U or Semur-en-Auxois (Côte-d’Or): Super U.
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The stores located in Saint-Florentin and Migennes will also change brands from March 1. Followed by that of Cluny, in Saône-et-Loire, four days later. One thing is sure, Auchan is undergoing a major crisis.
In 2024, the brand recorded a net loss of around one billion euros in the first half. This situation forced it to reduce its sales area throughout France. On November 5, 2024, the group formalized a restructuring plan.
It then announced the closure of around ten stores and the elimination of 2,400 jobs. While the Auchan brand is trying to restructure itself, Super U has decided to strengthen its network in strategic areas that it has not had the opportunity to exploit.
It remains to be seen whether this decision will prove positive. You will have to be patient before finding out!
