French retailer Casino's main buying group, EMC Distribution has announced it is to join the Swiss buying group European Marketing Distribution (EMD) on January 1st. EMD, which boasts a 500-strong team of agents across 16 countries, will now be the buying group for Casino, Leader Price and Monoprix stores. Casino's annual turnover is around €26 billion.
A spokesperson for the supermarket group said that the "partnership enables EMD to increase its leadership in Europe. This new accession takes place at a time when EMD reform its methods of operation and governance, led by a new management team."
The new partnership will mainly focus on private label purchasing, and it is believed will increase Casino's competitiveness in a consistently challenging market. Casino operates around 9,400 stores in France. (22 Dec)
© 2010 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine