Intermarché, Auchan, and Casino have announced the creation of the Aura Retail alliance. The alliance consists of five operational structures built around purchasing partnerships between the three groups. It will operate for 10 years.
According to the European Supermarket Magazine, the five operating structures of the Aura Retail alliance aim to capitalize on the combined strengths of the three French retail groups and to improve their power in commercial negotiations with major manufacturers. The alliance will also offer development and innovation opportunities to other manufacturers with whom the three groups have long-standing partnerships.
In terms of food purchases, Aura Retail will be comprised of three central purchasing units managed by Intermarché.
- Aura Retail Achats Alimentaires will operate purchasing synergies for some 200 national brand FMCG manufacturers for the Intermarché-Netto, Auchan, and Casino banners. The company, based in Massy, will be managed by Emmanuel Lavit (chairman) and Frederic Lecoq (CEO).
- Aura Retail International Food Services will negotiate international services with major multinational industrial groups, and aims to offer synergies in the many European countries where the partners are based. The Brussels-based company will be managed by Jean-Baptiste Berdeaux, chairman of the board, and Olivier Mercier, CEO.
- Aura Retail Private Label was created to enable European food manufacturers marketing private labels to benefit from more efficient market access via joint tender offer by Intermarché, Auchan and Casino. The company, also based in Massy, will be managed by Emmanuel Lavit (chairman), Jérôme Dumont (operations director) and Corinne Aubry-Lecomte (general secretary).
Two structures have also been set up by Aura Retail and managed by Auchan for non-food purchases of national brands. Aura Retail Achats Non Alimentaires will offer synergies to the 100 largest manufacturers selling national non-food brands. This company, based in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, will be headed by Stéphane Boennec (chairman), and Isabelle Saluden (CEO).
Elsewhere, Aura Retail International Non-Food Services will market international services to leading multinational non-food manufacturers. The Luxembourg-based company will be managed by Arnaud Bricmont (chairman of the board) and Dimitri Proskurovsky (CEO).