It is certainly an ambitious goal, as Carrefour sales and marketing manager Grégoire Kaufman explained to Food. “We will have 12 Gourmet Carrefour Markets by the end of the year. Wherever possible we will convert sales points to this new formula, which has seen an approximate increase in revenue of 20% compared to the former supermarket format so far”. There are currently four Gourmet stores: the first – opened last September in Piazza Gramsci in Milan – was joined in December by branches in Rome and Ventimiglia. And then the very recent launch of the store on Via Cristoforo Colombo 43 in Turin, again a conversion of a 1,200 m2 supermarket located in a central part of the city and therefore with a consumer base with medium-high purchasing power. There is also a significant percentage of young clients – estimated to be around 40% by store manager Stefano Bardini – composed of students from the nearby Polytechnic Institute. The layout, compared to the other stores, has been designed as follows: upon entering, customers have an overall view of the store, facilitated in this location by the decision to organise the checkouts (four traditional and six self-service machines) in single file either side of the entrance therefore opting for a single queue, a solution already used by Carrefour elsewhere. Clients are welcomed by an appealing flower counter and the fruit and veg section, while an important location is also allocated to the ready-prepared counter, which sells fourth range products of which 80% is prepared in the store kitchen. The range includes niche products and provides ample space for local produce: Carrefour has stated that it has over 220 local suppliers in Piedmont, for a total of approximately 2,700 products and a revenue of over 55 million euros in 2014. And of course, given the region, there is no shortage of specialities in the meat section, which is manned by highly trained staff and stands out thanks to the sides of beef on display.
In some categories, biscuits and pasta for example, private-label displays are particularly emphasised, while special offers are purposefully displayed discreetly. An effective feature of the wine section is the suggested meal combinations which are provided directly on labels. The fresh food section has a wide assortment of products, with over 400 cold cuts and cheeses, and the bakery and deli sections also have a broad range, only fitting for a store that aims to combine quality produce with supermarket prices.
A final mention should go to the launch of a Sushi Daily corner next to the fish counter. This is the first of its kind in a supermarket, having only opened in 15 Carrefour hypermarkets in Italy until now. The concept, run in collaboration with the Kelli Deli Group, offers Japanese cooking prepared on the spot by Japanese chefs. The next step for the Carrefour Market Gourmet project sees a return to Milan…