Activities (1,3 MB) - Colruyt Group

Developments
Due to lower consumer confidence, the French retail market
as a whole saw a drop in the volumes sold. Nevertheless,
the integrated stores were able to realise an 18,6% increase
in sales. In a stagnating retail market, Colruyt took an
important step in its expansion strategy in the past financial
year with the opening of 10 new stores. Never before did
the retailer realise more than 12.000 m² sales surface area
in one year, a growth of 25%. The number of integrated
stores at the end of the financial year amounted to 64 (of
which 60 Colruyt stores), with a total sales surface area of
59.982 m².
The expansion strategy combined with the fierce price
competition that puts pressure on the margins, resulted in
the short term in a negative contribution. However, Codi-
France is convinced that it will be able to reap the benefits
of the current expansion in the near future.
Recent survey results from the market research agency
Nielsen show that Colruyt customers are the most satisfied
about the prices. With this high score, Colruyt ranks in
the same position as the French hypermarket Leclerc and
before Intermaché and Super-U as the main competitors.
In the past year, the Colruyt stores focussed on three spear
points: the butcher’s shop, a high quality fruit and vegetable
product range and an extensive wine and cheese product
range. The ‘premier prix’ product range was expanded with
30 own brand products specifically for the French market.
Codi-France is working on the concept for its third
generation stores. The focus lies on more fresh products
(dairy, butcher’s shop, vegetables and fruit) and its own
traditional bakery. Colruyt aims to profile itself even more as
a neighbourhood supermarket with the new concept.
Codi-France separated the logistics for its own Colruyt
stores and the logistics for the independent stores. The
storage and distribution for the Colruyt stores remains
concentrated in Rochefort-sur-Nenon, all affiliated activities
were relocated to Châteauneuf-sur-Loire. Each activity now
has its own distribution centre and can continue to grow
at its own pace. Codi-France is thus able to measure the
operational and commercial performance of both activities
better.
The ten new DATS 24 petrol stations that were opened on
the Colruyt sites are an extra service that strengthens the
customer loyalty at Colruyt.
Outlook
Colruyt continues to invest intensively in its lowest prices
policy.
The aim is to further develop the integrated store activities
in the coming year in “le Grand-Est” of France, from the
Luxembourg border to south of Lyon. The target is to open
five to eight new stores a year in the coming five years with
an average surface area of 1.000 m² per store.
25 %
increase in store surface
area
18,6 %
increase in revenue
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