Casino Guichard-perrachon Et Cie

Die Casino Guichard-Perrachon et Cie-Aktien notieren unter der Valor 498118 bzw. Der ISIN FR in den Indizes SBF 120, Next CAC 70, EURO STOXX und EURONEXT 100. Mit einem Streubesitz von 42%. Baron David de Rothschild, 76 Non-Independent Director, Casino, Guichard-Perrachon SA. Baron David de Rothschild is a French businessperson who has been at the head of 30 different companies.

1. With corporate names like Allegis, Unisys and Primerica in vogue, it is unusual to encounter a homey-sounding handle that doesn't smack of being invented by a consultant with a hyperactive computer.
2. Casino Guichard-Perrachon et Cie-Aktie Kurs 67,20. 17 Casino Guichard-Perrachon et Cie-Dividende in Euro/Aktie.

Wikipedia's Groupe Casino as translated by GramTrans

Groupe Casino (aŭ Casino Guichard-Perrachon) estas franca masrevendisto kun operacioj ĉirkaŭ la mondo.La firmao estas listigita sur la NWSE Euronext Paris borso kaj ĝia majoritatakciulo estas Rallye Sa.

La ĉefsidejo de la firmao estas en Sankta-Stefano.

Historio

En 1892, Geoffroy Guichard iĝis la sola posedanto de nutraĵvendejo situanta en la malnova Casino Lyrique-kabaredo en Sankta-Stefano, kiu restis la montrobutiko de la grupo dum multaj jaroj kaj estas la origino de la nuna titolo de la grupo.

On June 25, 1898 Geoffroy Guichard opened the first branch store in Veauche and, on August 2 of the same year, he set up the Société des Magasins du Casino et Établissements Économiques d'Alimentation, operating under the name 'Guichard-Perrachon & Cie'. Following the company's creation, the focus began to shift towards organisation with the construction of a warehouse in Saint-Étienne.^[2]

La unuaj Kazin-markaj produktoj estis lanĉitaj en 1901, lanĉante la koncepton de privataj markoj.1902 vidis la enkondukon de klientolojalecprogramo kiu ofertis valorkuponojn por butikaĉetoj.La unuaj fabrikoj en la Luara regiono kvar jarojn poste kaj antaŭ 1916 estis malfermitaj la firmao prezentis familipagfondaĵon kaj proft-dividantan sistemon por iliaj dungitoj.

La unua memservobutiko estis malfermita en 1948 sekvite per la instalaĵo de la unua refigerateita ekrano de Francio en 1949.Preskaŭ jardekon poste, Casino iĝis la unua franca nutraĵo-podetalisto se temas pri elmontri vend-for daton sur iliaj produktoj, praktiko kiu ne iĝis deviga en Francio ĝis 1984.En 1975, Casino aliĝis al la tutmonda merkato tra ĝia vastiĝo en Usonon.

Antaŭ 1992, la grupo akiris La Ruche Méridionale antaŭ kunfandado kun Rallye, franca podetalisto posedata de Jean-Charles Naouri, per donado de 30% de Casino.1997 vidis la evoluon de malamika transaĉetopropono de podetalisto Promodès.Tamen, la oferto trafalis pro la kombinitaj klopodoj de Jean-Charles Naouri, la Guichard-familio, kaj la dungitoj de la grupo.La sekvan jaron, Jean-Charles Naouri iĝis la majoritatakciulo de la grupo.

Casino Guichard-perrachon Et Cie Fils

Inter 2000 kaj 2001, Casino akiris 50% de la diversecrevendisto Monoprix same kiel la diskontĉenoj Franprix, Leader Price, kaj Cdiscount.Banque Casino estis fondita kaj la nemoveblaĵo-entrepreno Mercialys estas establita por administri la butikumadcentrojn de la grupo.En 2007, la grupo inaŭguris sian novan ĉefsidejon en Sankta-Stefano, sia historia fortikejo.

En 2010, la grupo akiris la interesojn de Carrefour en Tajlando.La saman jaron la GreenYellow-filio ligis sian unuan energicentralon al la franca elektroreto.En junio 2012 la grupo akiris 50% investon en Monoprix de la Galeries Lafayette. ^[5] Poste tiun monaton ili ankaŭ akiris akcimajoritaton en la Brazil-bazita Pão de Açúcar.Pli lastatempe, Groupe Casino akiris administrokontrolon de du el la bazaj aktivaĵoj de la Groupe: GPA en Brazilo kaj Monoprix en Francio.

Poziciigado kaj strategio

Kun la akiro de akcimajoritato en Grupo Pão de Açúcar en Brazilo kaj la interkonsento kun Galeries Lafayette por akiri 50% de Monoprix, 2012 vidis Groupe Casinon levi sian profilon en alt-kreskaj merkatoj.

Hodiaŭ, la grupo havas reton de pli ol 12,000 butikoj, de kiuj 9,450 estas en Francio.Ĝi funkciigas en ok landoj, generante netajn vendojn de €48,645-miliono kaj dungante 329,000 homojn (2013).

La operacioj de la grupo estas bazitaj sur multi-formata, multi-standarda, multi-kanala aliro kaj duobla kolportado-/posedaĵkomercmodelo.

Internaciaj merkatoj

La grupo temigas landojn kiuj ofertas altan potencialon por kresko kaj en kiuj la filioj de la grupo havas fortan lokan ĉeeston.Surbaze de tiuj kriterioj, grupo nuntempe koncentriĝas pri Sudameriko.

En 2013, emerĝantaj merkatoj respondecitaj pri 60% de firmigitaj netaj vendoj (vs 56% en 2012), kaj 74% de firmigita komercprofito (aŭ €2,363-miliono).Groupe Casino estas numero unu podetalisto en Brazilo kaj Kolombio.

Kazino tenas gvidajn rolojn en tiuj merkatoj:

• Plej granda podetalisto en Latin-Ameriko
• Plej granda manĝaĵo kaj nenutraĵa podetalisto en Brazilo
• Plej granda podetalisto en Kolombio

Francio

Kazino nuntempe temigas vastigado de sia multi-formata paperaro en la oportuno- kaj rabatsegmentoj.Ĝia kiun komercmodelo estas konstruita sur reto de strategie rilata, ankoraŭ evidente diferencigis standardojn - Rondfoston kaj Vival (urbaj kaj kamparaj superete), Monoprix kaj Franprix (centro-urbaj butikoj), Gvidantoprezon (rabatellasejoj) kaj Naturalia (organikaj manĝaĵoj).Kun ĝiaj 6,500 facilbutikoj, Casino kondukas tiun segmenton en Francio.

Butikmarkoj kaj novigado

Kazino posedas tri butikmarkojn, Monoprix, Gvidantoprezon kaj kazinon, la lasta de kiu estas la gvida butikmarko de Francio surbaze de la procento de ĝiaj produktoj en la vendmiksaĵo.Groupe Casino ankaŭ estas la gvida aĉetanto de blankaj etikedproduktoj en Francio.

Posedaĵo kiel valorŝoforo

Karakterizaĵo de la Groupe Casino komercmodelo estas sia duobla kolportado/posedaĵaliro.Ilia kompetenteco estas deplojita en Francio tra du filioj: Mercialys, gvida listigita podetala nemoveblaĵo-entrepreno kaj Immobilière Group Casino, kiu posedas la butiktrajtojn de la grupo.

Operacioj

En 2012, Casino havis pli ol 12,000 ellasejojn (126 superbazaroj, 446 superbazaroj, 2,476 rabatmagazenoj, 6,457 facilbutikoj kaj 299 restoracioj) en Francio kaj eksterlande, kutime tra investoj en lokaj podetalistoj.Ekzemploj inkludas Liberecon kaj Aŭteto-Liberecon en Argentino, Disco kaj Devoto en Urugvajo, Pão de Açúcar kaj Ekstran en Brazilo, Exiton en Kolombio kaj aliaj ellasejoj en dekduaj afrikaj landoj kaj la Hinda Oceano.

La 2an de julio 2012, Casino iĝis la sola stiranta akciulo de Grupo Pão de Açúcar, la plej elstara podetalisto kaj due plej granda reta podetalisto de Brazilo.Grupo Pão de Açúcar havas ĉiujaran vendon de €20.2-miliardo kun multi-formata, multi-marka paperaro da pli ol 1,600 butikoj kaj 159,800 dungitoj, igante ĝin la plej elstara privatsektora dunganto en Brazilo.La akcimajoritato akirita en Pão de Açúcar signife akcelis la grandecon de la grupo, poziciigante ĝin inter la plej grandaj podetalistoj de la monda.

En kontinenta Francio, Casino funkciigas la sekvajn markojn: Hyper Géant Casino (126 butikoj) Casino Supermarché (446), Monoprix (555), Franprix kaj Leader-Prezo (600), Spar, Vival, Petit Casino kaj Casino Restauration.Sur Reunion Island, ĝiaj markoj estas Géant Casino kaj Leader-Prezo.

En 2005, Casino kreis Mercialys, REIT-stilan listigitan nemoveblaĵo-entreprenon kiu hodiaŭ administras aktivaĵpaperaron konsistantan el proksimume 150 butikcentroj kiuj estas najbaraj al Kazin-poseditaj superbazaroj kaj superbazaroj, la kafeteriotrajtojn de same kiel la grupo.

En marto 2012, Franprix sciigis planon provizi ĝiajn 80 butikojn en centra Parizo per 450 tunoj da varoj tage per la Marno kaj Sejnaj riveroj, tiel mallongigante liveraĵotempojn kaj reduktante la median efikon.

Markoj

Francio

La markoj de Groupe Casino vico da podetalaj formatoj:

• Kazino Supermarchés, urbocentro-- kaj kampara superbazara ĉeno
• Monoprix, urbocentro-diversecĉeno vendanta manĝaĵon, personajn kaj belecflegproduktojn, domanarproduktojn kaj veston
• Franprix, urbokerna facilbutiko-ĉeno
• Superettes:

÷ Petita kazino÷ kazina butiko÷ kazino Butikumado÷ Rondfosto ÷ Vival

• Rabatformatoj:
• Gvidanta Prezo, kiu portas kaj butikmarkajn kaj naciajn markojn
• Superbazaroj
• Hiper-Géant Casino
• Retaj butikoj
• Cdiscount
• Posedaĵadministrado
• Mercialys
• Aliaj entreprenoj
• Casino Restauration: Casino Cafétéria, Les Comptoirs Casino, Villa Plancha and À La Bonne Heure
• Banque Casino
• Kazino Vacance (vojaĝagentejo)

• Kazino Butikumado

• Supermarché Casino

• Monoprix

• Monoprix

• Franprix

• Franprix

• Gvidanta Prezo

En la mondo

• Brazil: Grupo Pão de Açúcar - Extra - Pão de Açúcar - Extra Fácil - Assaí - Ponto Frio - Casas Bahia

• Ekstra - Brazilo

• Assaí - Brazilo

• Pão de Açúcar - Brazil

• Pão de Açúcar - Brazil

Casino Guichard Perrachon Stock

• Kolombio: Groupe Éxito -Carulla - Surtimax - Cdiscount

• Carulla - Colombia

• Éxito - Colombia

• Éxito - Colombia

• Cdiscount Offices

• Argentina: Libertad - Mini Libertad
• Uruguay: Devoto - Disco

• Disco - Uruguay

• Libereco - arĝent

• Hinda Oceano:Elefanĉjo -Poentaro - Rondfosto - Vival

• Poentaro - La Reunio

La kazina fonduso

Kreita en 2009, la Kazino-Fundamento temigas sponsorado de junularajn programoj por helpi malhelpi socian ekskludon, per disponigado ŝancoj kaj resursoj kiujn infanoj bezonas por povi formi siajn proprajn vivojn kaj venki sociajn kaj personajn malhelpojn.Ĝi ĉefe ofertas asistadon al infanoj kun limigita aliro al eduko, kun la celo de apogado de ilia persona kaj intelekta kresko.Tra programoj por reklami sciencan, artan, literaturan, muzikan aŭ teknologian scion, la fundamento estas favora al rompiĝi lernante barierojn, faciligante aliron al ĉiuj formoj de scio kaj kulturo por junularoj malhavanta tian malkovron.

• La Artistes à l'Ekole programo, organizita en partnereco kun la franca Edukministerio kaj Odeon Theatre de l'Europe, permesas al proksimume 2,000 studentoj enskribiĝi en altkvalitaj trijaraj artoj kaj kulturprogramo dizajnis por nutri ilian inteligenton kaj apogi ilian sukceson.
• La Sourire à l'Hôpita programo, organizis en partnereco kun neprofita kiuj disponigas infanan pacientoprizorgon, donas centojn da hospitaligitaj infanoj aliras al komunikiloj kaj instruaj resursoj.
• Ekde 2010, la Kazino-Fundamento ankaŭ sponsoris la soci-utilan organizon Docteur Souris, kiu disponigas Interret-ligitajn komputilojn al enhospitaligitaj infanoj.
• Lokaj iniciatoj permesas al Groupe Casino-dungitoj peti ke monhelpo de la fundamento ĝis sponsoras lokulon soci-utilaj de ilia elekto por etendi helpon supre de centoj da kulture nediskuteblaj infanoj en Francio kaj ĉirkaŭ la mondo.

Estraro de direktoroj

• Jean-Charles Naouri, prezidanto kaj chief Executive Officer
• Nathalie Andrieŭ, Independant Company Director
• Didier Carlier, Reprezentanto de Euris;Ĉefo Oficulo-Oficiro de Rallye
• Jacques Dumas, Reprezentanto de Cobivia;Konsilisto al la Prezidanto de Casino;Deputito Ĉef-Oficulo de Euris.
• Henri Giscard d'Estaing, prezidanto kaj ĉefo Oficulo-Oficiro de Klubo Méditerranée, Sendependa direktoro
• Gérard Koenigheit, Reprezentanto de Matignon-Diderot;Legal Manager de GK Advisor-sarl.
• Lordino Sylvia Jay, Independent Company Director, Independant Director.
• Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, prezidanto kaj ĉefo Oficulo-Oficiro de Fimalac
• Didier Levêque, Reprezentanto de Foncière Euris;Sekretario Ĝenerala de Euris kaj Prezidanto kaj Ĉefo Oficulo-Oficiro de Finatis.
• Catherine Lucet, Chief Executive Officer de la Eduko kaj Referenco-Dividado de Editis, Sendependa direktoro.
• Gilles Pinoncély, Direktoro.
• Gérald de Roquemaurel, Legal Manager de BGR-Partneroj.Sendependa direktoro.
• David de Rothschild, Laŭleĝa Manaĝero de Rothschild et Cie Banque kaj Despota Partnero de Rothschild et Cie.
• Frédéric Saint-Geours, Prezidanto de la Kontrola Estraro de SNCF.Altranga endrogmaniuldirektoro.
• Michel Savard, Reprezentanto de Finatis;Konsilisto al la Prezidanto de Rallye/Casino kaj Prezidanto kaj Ĉefo Oficulo-Oficiro de Foncière Euris.
• Pierre Giacometti, Non-Voting Director, Prezidanto de GiacomettiPeron & Associés.
• Kareen Ceintre, Sekretario de la Estraro de direktoroj

Ĉefestraro

• Jean-Charles Naouri, prezidanto kaj Ĉef-Oficulo-Oficiro de Kazino-Grupo
• Hervé Daudin, Administra direktoro, Merchandise Director kaj Prezidanto de EMC-Distribuo
• Yves Desjacques, Administra direktoro, Corporate Human Resources
• Carlos Mario Giraldo Moreno, prezidanto kaj Chief Executive Officer de la Éxito-Grupo (Kolombio)
• Antoine Giscard d'Estaing, Ĉefa financa oficiro
• Ronaldo Iabrudi, Chief Executive Officer de GPA (Brazilo)
• Julien Lagubeau, ĉefmanaĝero kaj Administra Komisiono-Sekretario
• Joseph Naouri Delevingne, Ĉefo de Marques Propres
• Jean Paul Mochet, ĉefo Oficulo Officer de Franprix kaj la Oportuno-Standardoj
• Tina Schuler, ĉefo Oficulo Officer de Gvidanto-Prezo kaj Casino Supermarkets
• Arnaud Strasser, Administra direktoro, Corporate Development kaj Holdings
• Gérard Walter, Ĉef-Oficulo-Oficiro de Géant Kazino

Financaj kulminaĵoj

Reta komercvolumeno inkludas ĉiun enspezon de firmigitaj firmaoj, partneroj kaj koncesiuloj, sur 100% bazo.

Akcioinformo

• Groupe Casino-akcioj estas listigitaj sur la NWSE Euronext Paris-merkato (Kupeo A)

ISIN: FR0000125585

• Balancvaloro: € 1.53 per akcio
• Majoritatakciuloj ĉe fino-2012 (voĉdonrajtoj): Libera flosilo: 38.6%;Groupe Rallye 59.3%;dungitoj 2.1%.

Referencoj

1. ^ ' Contact. ' Groupe Casino. Prenite la 24an de la 2013-an de junio ' Groupe-kazino 1, Esplanade de France, Bp 306 42008 Saint-Etienne Cedex 2 - FRANCIO '
2. ^ Casino Guichard-Perrachon S.A. History, fundinguniverse.com
3. ^ Groupe Casino History, groupe-casino.fr /en
4. ^ Casino Guichard : Casino Finalizes Acquisition of Monoprix, 4-traders.com, 24-a de julio 2013
5. ^ Casino Says It Won't Sell Monoprix Stake to Galeries Lafayette, Bloomberg, 25-a de februaro 2012
6. ^ Casino to Become Sole Controller of Brazil's Pao de Acucar, Bloomberg, 15-a de majo 2012
7. ^ Positioning and komercmodelo, groupe-casino.fr /en
8. ^ BRAZIL'S LEADING RETAILER IS FRENCH:=IT'S CASINO, Sial group
9. ^ Jean-Charles Naouri Plans An IPO For Casino's Global E-Commerce Platform, jewishbusinessnews.com, 8-a de majo 2014
10. ^ Casino Starts Process to Become Sole Controller of Pao de Acucar, Bloomberg, 22-a de marto 2012
11. ^Franprix emprunte désormais la Seine pour livrer ses magasins parisiens, la Dépêche, March 16, 2012

External links

B.P. 306, 24, rue de la Montat
Saint-Etienne Cedex 2, F-42008
France
77 45 31 31
Fax: 77 21 85 15

Public Company
Incorporated: 1898 as Societe des Magasins du Casino
Employees: 45,326
Sales: FFr 72.52 billion ($12.67 billion)
Stock Exchanges: Bourse (Paris)
SICs: 2013 Sausages and Other Prepared Meat Products;
2051 Bread and Other Bakery Products; 5400 Food Stores;
5812 Eating Places; 6531 Real Estate Agents and
Managers

Etablissements Economiques de Casino Guichard, Perrachon et Cie, S.C.A., generally called Groupe Casino or simply Casino, is the second largest food retailer in France. The company’s network of about 2,325 Petit Casino convenience stores was the largest in France at the end of 1993. The company also owned or operated, by that date, 108 Geant Casino and Geant Rallye hypermarkets (retail stores that are larger than supermarkets and sell nonfood as well as food items), 518 Casino supermarkets, 224 cafeterias, and two production plants. In addition, Casino owned and operated plants that processed meat, bottled wine, and turned out pastries and other confectionery goods. Etablissements Economiques de Casino Guichard, Perrachon et Cie was the holding company for more than 40 subsidiary companies, the majority of which were wholly owned.

The Casino philosophy stressed quality rather than low price. “Casino is perceived as the highest in quality, and the second highest for overall customer satisfaction,” according to its chairman and chief executive officer, Antoine Guichard. “We are not in the discount game, we are in the quality game.” Recognizing its need to advance technologically, however, Casino forged links with Great Britain’s Argyll Group PLC and the Netherlands’Koninklijke Ahold N.V. in what came to be called the European Retail Alliance.

The origins of the company date back to about 1860, when a grocery store was opened in Saint-Etienne, a city about 30 miles south of Lyon. It was named for the nearby Casino Lyrique, which had been closed in 1858 by the city fathers for “licentious spectacles.” In 1864 the founder of Casino, a Monsieur Brechard, took as a partner Jean-Claude Perrachon, and the business became a general store. Perrachon’s nephew Geoffroy Guichard later became partner of what became the Etablissements Guichard-Perrachon. In 1898 Guichard created the Societe des Magasins du Casino and opened a second store in Veauche, about 12 miles to the south. To stock the stores it was necessary to build a warehouse in Saint-Etienne.

The father of eight children, Guichard was a paternalistic employer, and the company continues to give out scholarships to the descendants of his workers. Guichard also sponsored the city’s museum of modern art and its soccer team, traditions the company maintains. In addition, Casino became manager of Saint-Etienne’s museum of arts and industry in 1967.

Casino became a joint-stock company in 1900. Armed with an infusion of funds, it grew rapidly from this point. By the outbreak of World War I there were 215 branches, of which 56 were in Saint-Etienne alone. In 1919 a new factory replaced the existing facilities for making chocolate, confectioneries, and preserves. By 1922 warehouses also were located in Clermont-Ferrand, Lyon, Roanne, and Beaucaire, the latter to store wine. A soap factory and oil works were built in Marseille, and a perfume plant was opened in Saint-Etienne in 1922. Two more warehouses, at Chalon-sur-Saone and Avignon, opened in 1923. In 1934 a vast warehouse was established in Marseille to serve the entire southeast of France.

On the eve of World War II Casino was by far the biggest holding company in southeastern France. Yet its greatest period of expansion was not to begin until 1960, when it opened its first supermarket in Grenoble. A warehouse for fresh produce was opened in Rhone a Grigny the following year. Its first cafeteria was introduced in Saint-Etienne in 1967. Casino entered the Paris region in 1970 by creating a subsidiary with the acronym SOMACA to operate the supermarkets of Saint-Denis and Bagneux. In the same year it absorbed a similar business in southwestern France, TEpargne, into a new subsidiary named SABIM Sable.

Hypermarkets under the name Geant Casino were established during the early 1970s, first in Marseille, then in Saint-Etienne, Frejus, Montpellier, Bordeaux, and Nantes. The one in Saint-Etienne covered 10,842 square meters (116,702 square feet). In the early 1980s it had 45 different departments, 2,000 parking places, and a staff of 470, and was accompanied by an auto service station, a cafeteria, and a gallery of shops. Casino entered a new field in 1977 with the creation of S.A. CAR-FUEL, a subsidiary for the distribution of petroleum products. Between 1978 and 1980 Casino established SOMABRI, in collaboration with the Belgian group G.B., to operate hobby-and-garden centers. The one opened in Saint-Etienne in 1980 was offering 27,000 products two years later.

By 1981 Casino also had established the restaurant chains SARL, Stefany, and Caf Casino and had taken a half-interest in another, France Quick. SABIM operated slaughterhouses in Sable and Saint-Maixent. The industrial complex of Pont-de-1’Ane produced chocolates, confectioneries, and preserves, 85 percent for Casino’s retail needs. There was a meatpacking plant at Saint-Priest and one for roasting meat at Marseille that not only satisfied Casino’s needs but also exported products overseas. Three great bottling plants were located in Beaucaire, Lyon, and Clermont-Ferrand, and Casino began exporting 2 million bottles of wine a year to other European Community countries. SAIC was a building society managing thousands of dwellings. Finally, a fleet of trucks transported goods from Casino’s 11 great warehouses.

Groupe Casino’s presence in the United States dates from 1975, when it created Casino USA Inc. as a California-based subsidiary. By 1984 it was operating four Petit Casino retail stores and eight Cafe Casino French restaurants. In March 1984 Casino USA bought a controlling interest in Thriftimart Inc., owner of 86 Smart & Final Iris Co. cash-and-carry warehouses, for more than $15 million worth of Class B stock. Casino intended to use Thriftimart outlets to distribute its lines of jelly, jam, and bottled water. At the time of the deal, Smart & Final Iris specialized in discount volume sales of food and hardware for bulk buyers and restaurants. Eventually, the deal had to be sweetened to avoid a lawsuit, so in the end Casino paid $116.7 million to acquire the company’s Class A nonvoting shares of common stock as well.

The French parent saw a 10 percent increase in turnover in 1983 to FFr 157.9 million ($17.5 million), but this was accompanied by a decline of 2 percent in consolidated profits. However, Casino continued pursuing an aggressive acquisition program and in 1985 bought an 88 percent share of CEDIS, owner of hypermarkets, supermarkets, and smaller grocery stores. The transaction supplemented Casino’s already strong presence in southern France and the Paris metropolitan area with CEDIS’s base in eastern France, and added CEDIS’s FFr 9 billion (about $977 million) in annual sales to Casino’s FFr 23.5 billion (about $2.55 billion). Later in the year Casino entered into a joint venture with a subsidiary of the giant French oil company ELF-Aquitaine to create service stations, supermarkets, and fast-food outlets.

In 1986 Casino expanded further by acquiring a 46 percent interest in Paridoc and Giant supermarkets and a 99 percent interest in Etablissements Deloche, a wholesaler. In that year Groupe Casino was France’s third largest food-distribution company, behind Leclerc and Carrefour. Its holdings in France consisted of 42 hypermarkets (16 under the Mammouth name of CEDIS) and 187 supermarkets, under the Casino, Suma, and Ravi names. In addition, there were 92 Smart & Final warehouses in the United States.

The company’s activities in 1986 also included processed foods (12 percent of total sales) and restaurants and cafeterias (6 percent). The latter sector consisted of the restaurant chain Hippopotamus and the cafeteria chains O’Kitch and Quick, making Casino the largest food chain in France in number of meals served. Casino then sold Quick in 1993. American operations constituted another 6 percent of the company’s volume, with food distribution accounting for the other 76 percent. Food processing declined to only 3 percent of revenues by 1993, while American revenues increased to nearly 8 percent of the total.

Casino’s acquisitions were part of the consolidation of the food industry taking place throughout France. The American-style hypermarket first made its appearance in France in 1963. By 1986 there were 645 of these giant stores, accounting for one-fourth of the food dollar. Hypermarkets also saw a 10 percent annual gain in sales volume, compared to 2 percent for the industry as a whole. The big distributors expanded vertically as well as horizontally by absorbing suppliers.

In 1989 Casino stock reached a price level it would not attain again during the next four difficult years. Antoine Guichard announced in July 1990 that company employment would be cut by 1,450 before the end of 1992. Guichard explained that the company was being undercut by independent rivals offering lower prices because of their lower operating costs. He said the company would respond by renovating and remodeling its stores, and reorganizing the hypermarkets, supermarkets, and smaller food stores into separate and autonomous divisions. A new marketing division would be concerned with consumer relations, price, and the purchase and securing of provisions.

To cut its costs Casino sold its 172 service stations in December 1990 to Shell France and Agip France for FFr 660 million (about $131 million). However, Casino would continue to manage the stations under a 30-year contract. This transaction apparently was made to enable Casino to reduce its debt, which had grown to FFr 4.2 billion (about $840 million) after it had acquired La Ruche Meridionale, a supermarket company, earlier in the year.

In May 1989 Casino signed initial cooperation accords with Argyll Group PLC, owner of Safeway food stores in Great Britain, and Koninklijke Ahold N.V. of the Netherlands to form a combine. The accord called for the three food retailers to issue new shares that would give Argyll a 3.8 percent share in Ahold and a 3.4 percent stake in Casino, with Ahold and Casino in turn acquiring 1.5 percent of Argyll. The result was the European Retail Alliance (ERA), on which Antoine Guichard planned to base the company’s future growth strategy. Looking toward the European Economic Union of 1993, Casino also bought 39 percent of an important Italian retailer, La Rinascente, in 1989.

In a 1991 interview for Supermarket News, Guichard envisioned a new kind of Casino store, based on an Argyll prototype, that would cover 35,000 to 40,000 square feet—more than three times the size of the typical French supermarket, but smaller than the hypermarkets. “There are about 20 … cities where we could open about 200 or even 300 superstores,” he said. “And these would be more food-oriented than the hypermarket format—maybe 20 percent nonfood, but with no textiles.” Guichard said the company was also studying Ahold test-concept stores, equipped with state-of-the-art electronics.

Guichard acknowledged that Casino was “not considered modern by our customers” and said the company would invest heavily to increase productivity. Casino planned to exploit its membership in ERA, through technology sharing, in order to dramatically restructure its distribution system and in-store MIS operations. Guichard added that the largest task would be to overhaul Casino’s warehouse network by studying Argyll’s more advanced operations in this field. Greater productivity, Guichard indicated, would allow Casino to eliminate about 30 percent of its warehouse space. He also said the entire computer system in warehousing and distribution would be changed to allow computerized price controls and automatic reordering from store to warehouse or from warehouse to vendor.

“The plan is to have the identical system, the same programming, working in all three companies,” Guichard continued. “You will see identical computer systems in the stores of all three ERA partners, and you will even see the same cash registers and scanners.” The three companies were to increase common purchases of meat, produce, flowers, and other goods. Elements of the training programs of the three companies would be shared, with Casino embarking on a campaign to teach its employees English. Guichard added that the partners were planning to create a joint ERA label to be marketed throughout Europe.

Casino moved into second place among French food distributors by acquiring rival Rallye S.A. in 1992, in exchange for new Casino shares representing more than 30 percent of the new ensemble. In so doing it acquired the 44 hypermarkets and 196 supermarkets of this Breton distributor. As a result sales increased to FFr 61.6 billion ($11.25 billion) in 1992 from FFr 40.6 billion in 1991, but profits fell from FFr 484 million to FFr 438 million ($80 million). Like other retailers, Casino was affected by stagnant consumer spending during a national economic recession that year. Rallye appeared to be a drag on the parent organization, its hypermarket sales falling 6 percent during the first four months of 1994 (while Casino’s rose by 4.7 percent) and its supermarket sales dropping by 8 to 9 percent (while Casino’s rose by 1 percent).

Through its subsidiary Casino USA, Groupe Casino had majority control of Smart & Final Inc., which operated 136 Smart & Final warehouse stores in the United States at the end of 1993. The number was scheduled to reach 149 by the end of 1994. More than half were leased from Casino Realty, with most of the rest subleased from Casino Realty or Casino USA. Among Smart & Final subsidiaries were Casino Frozen Foods Inc. and Casino American Food Services Inc. Under a joint venture with the Mexican retailer Central Detallista it was also to operate a chain of supermarkets in the southwestern United States and in Tijuana, Mexico, using the name Smart & Final. Two had opened by mid 1994, with a third scheduled for opening by the end of the year.

In order to accumulate money to remodel its French stores, Casino put Smart & Final Inc. up for sale in July 1993. Its Casino USA subsidiary held a 50.3 percent stake in the food chain, with a market value of about $178 million. The parent concern decided later that year not to sell, however, because in the words of Smart & Final’s chairman, “Groupe Casino is convinced the long-term value … is far in excess of the amount it might realize in the current weak market.” During the first four months of 1994 Smart & Final’s sales rose by 14 percent.

During 1993 Casino turnover rose 2.7 percent to reach FFr 72.52 billion ($12.67 billion). Net profits increased 2.9 percent, to FFr 453.6 million ($79.25 million). These disappointing returns, representing percentage increases lower than the inflation rate, were attributed to stiff competition by “hard-discounters” in a difficult economic climate. Capital spending was scheduled to fall to FFr 1.85 billion ($323 million) from FFr 2.19 billion. To counter price competition, Groupe Casino began experimenting in 1994 with a new discounting concept called I’As des Prix (The Ace of Prices) being tested in the Lyon region. If successful, it would be adopted in 1995 and 1996 by the Super Rallye stores.

Principal Subsidiaries

Casino France; Casino USA Inc.; Un-imas; Gem; Paradis; Pribas; Sodipra; Bonmets; Bladen; TPLM; Gelalp; Cogin; Nica; Soreso; Cladevi.

Further Reading

Dowdell, Stephen, “Casino’s Big Gamble,”Supermarket News, April 1, 1991, pp. 1, 10–11.

Doyere, Josee, “Un [caddie] nomme desir,”Le Monde, February 21, 1987, pp. 4–6.

Casino Guichard Perrachon & Cie Sa

Gardes, Gilbert, editor, La ville des Saint-Etienne, Grand encyclopedic du Forez et des communes de la Loire, Le Coteau: Editions Horvath, 1984, pp. 273-275, 298–305.

Casino Guichard-perrachon Et Cie Resultats

—Robert Halasz