HALLE, Belgium, 2015-8-7— /EPR Retail News/ — Colruyt Group and its current partners of the purchasing group CORE (the Swiss Coop and Italian Conad) combined their forces with the oldest European retail alliance Alidis. The “Alliance Internationale de Distributeurs” is composed of the German Edeka, the Spanish Eroski and the French Groupement des Mousquetaires, and will be the largest strategic alliance in Europe with the three new members. The affiliated retailers will be able to offer their customers an even more varied product range and more value for their money. The concentration of forces also opens new perspectives in terms of growth and synergy for the six partners and for their suppliers. The operation has yet to be approved by the competition authorities.
Added value for consumer, supplier and distributor
The six members of Alidis are worth a combined annual turnover of 140 billion euros. “Thanks to the larger purchasing volumes, Colruyt Group will certainly be able to offer the consumer added value”, Frans Colruyt, COO Retail at Colruyt Group, says. “I think of more innovation and variety in the products on offer and an even better price/quality ratio, both for our private labels and for the international brands.”
Moreover, the reinforced grouping sees new possibilities for its suppliers. They can gain access to new markets and thus generate volume growth. In addition, they will be able to spread their investments in for instance innovation or marketing campaigns across several countries.
Finally, the strategic alliance also offers growth potential for the members themselves. Frans Colruyt: “By exchanging knowledge and experience, synergies can develop in working on and in domains such as technology, sustainability, quality and store concepts. Together, we can also react better to the fast evolutions that put the retail sector under pressure today. And the production facilities of the different partners can gain a few extra market opportunities in the long run.”
Strong position in the domestic markets
The Alidis alliance was founded in 2002 by the French Groupement des Mousquetaires and Spanish Eroski Group and was joined in 2005 by the German Edeka Group. With Colruyt Group, the Swiss Coop and Italian Conad joining them, Alidis becomes the most important alliance of independent retailers in Europe. “In addition to the substantial total purchasing volume, the strength of the alliance is certainly also in our joint strategic long-term vision”, Frans Colruyt explains.
The six retail groups have a strong market position and many-branched store network in eight countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Poland and Portugal.
More information:
Chris Tournicourt
chris.tournicourt@colruytgroup.com
+32 (0)2 360 10 40
+32 (0)471 73 88 01