French supermarket chain Auchan has just opened its 100th hypermarket in Russia and shows no signs of stopping, with new hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience stores planned for the next few years.
More to come
Auchan Russia has become a very important part of Auchan Group, with Russia becoming the third most important country in turnover following only France and China. Despite already opening its 100th hypermarket in the country, only 14 years following its first, Auchan Russia CEO Jean-Pierre Germain believes there is still much untapped potential in Putin’s backyard.
The chain has already invested three billion euro in Russia, but it will invest another 440 million euro there in 2017. On average, it hopes to open another twelve hypermarkets per year, while continuing to invest in its other store formulas (supermarkets and local convenience stores). However, at the same time, the chain will also need to restructure its local operations, transforming the Atac stores into Auchan-branded stores.
