unions and management engage in standoff on the social level

«We have the impression that Guillaume Darrasse is cutting with an ax », says Franck Martinaud, FO representative of Auchan France. The pressure is strong on the general manager of the fifth French distributor, who, having arrived at his post last August, is well aware that the coming months will be tough. On Thursday, management and the unions begin negotiations which promise to be painful on the social level (PSE) undertaken to try to turn around the brand. This shock plan targets nearly 2,400 job cuts linked to the closure of 10 stores (including 3 hypermarkets), job reductions at headquarters and in all stores, and the closure of 3 warehouses.

In great difficulty for several years, Auchan – which belongs to the Mulliez galaxy – suffers from its excessive dependence on the large hypermarkets which made it successful in the 1970s. In addition, since the inflationary crisis, the brand has not been able to offer prices sufficiently…