Auchan is to launch a new store format, with an emphasis on fresh produce. The new banner, expected to be called Multifrais, will combine the Drive format with fresh produce, to offer a wide range of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and other fresh produce to customers collecting the order they have submitted online.
Vincent Mignot, CEO of the French retailer's domestic operations, said, "This is a brand new concept that has nothing to do with those already existing within the group or the competition." The Lille-based group will open the first Multifrais store in March in the Paris region, Mignot told press.
Some retail experts have pointed out the conflicting nature of combining the time-saving Drive format with a fresh produce offering which will require shoppers to leave their cars in order to make their selection.
Ever innovative, Auchan has previously experimented with the concept, with its Halles d'Auchan and Chrono Drive formats. It is also reported that the group will open two new hypermarkets in 2013, one of which will incorporate Drive. (10 Jan)
© 2013 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine
