The announced closure of several Auchan stores, including the Woippy hypermarket, has taken a toll on employee morale.
Store closed, jobs eliminated: near Metz, Auchan employees are in shock on Tuesday after the announcement of the restructuring of the distribution giant, which will eliminate nearly 2,400 positions.
Auchan Woippy will close in summer 2025
“I have a hard time realizing, we cared about this store.” Guillaume Goppner, FO representative of the Woippy hypermarket, in Moselle, has little hope for the supermarket, one of three in France promised to close outright, with Clermont-Ferrand and Bar-le -Duke.
“We were told that the closure would take place in June 2025 unless they find a buyer by then, but I have little hope given the current state of the store“he confided to AFP.
On the square in front of the supermarket, the red sheet metal of the awning has holes and is marked by rust. In front, the parking lot is half deserted. Inside the completely silent store, some shelves are practically empty.
Within the building, which also houses a small shopping arcade, traders are worried about a “advance into the unknown”. “The little hope we have lies in the loyalty of our customers, but if the hypermarket closes, people will no longer really have a reason to go here”points out Omar, 37 years old, manager of a telephone store.
Concern also for customers. “We are shocked, we wonder what will become of the employees”alarms Sylvie Wolfram, a 72-year-old customer. “It’s annoying, it forces us to go to other stores that are further away by car, which means more gas, and therefore even more expenses”adds the retiree.
The mayor of Woippy, Cédric Gouth, hopes that the 73 employees concerned will be “repositioned on other neighboring sites” of the municipality. “We have people who have worked on this site for a very long time, who are of a certain age and who will have to find another solution or potentially have negotiations with Auchan on retirement”.
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Auchan caught up in economic difficulties
Auchan, which employs around 54,000 people, plans to eliminate certain positions within its stores (equipment sales sales advisor, payroll planning and management manager, safety manager), i.e. 915 positions potentially affected.
“There, we don’t know which direction to take”says Karim, employed in Lille for 18 years, red vest on his back, flocked with the Auchan logo with the little bird. “Should we start looking for work? We don’t know what we’ll become. Given the economic situation, we only hear negative things everywhere, that doesn’t reassure. We thought we would be safe, but even at Auchan, now, nothing is certain.”
Long considered one of the best performing players in social terms in mass distribution, Auchan has been overtaken by its economic difficulties.
Working conditions “have deteriorated there for several years, compared to the atmosphere that we experienced at a certain time, now it’s really the numbers, the profitability, the human element is overlooked a little bit“testifies Karim.
His colleague Anthony, 48, is just as stunned: “we expected changes or job cuts, but not as quickly with the pure and simple elimination of the profession”.
Dany Brysse, also sales advisor and FO delegate at Auchan Roncq, confirms: “we thought there would be a restructuring, perhaps less need for sellers, but not on such a significant scale”he said. “I have been in the store for 28 years, I have just turned 50, you will have to cash it, then bounce back…“
