France: Amazon joins forces with Casino Group for distribution deal

28 Mar 2018 --- Amazon has secured a foothold in the French grocery market by teaming up with major retail chain Monoprix, a subsidiary of the Casino Group. Amazon Prime Now customers in Paris now have a chance to source from a wide range of “gourmet and creative” grocery items, via the app and websites’ virtual store. This includes fresh and store-brand products, among other items.

The move comes at a time of changing consumer shopping habits where many are ditching traditional brick-and-mortar stores in favor of the convenience of online grocery shopping.

The Casino Group now has a strong e-commerce platform which, for now, focuses on distribution in the capital and surrounding neighborhoods, but could be rolled out to other regions in France over time.

“Thanks to this unique partnership between Amazon and Monoprix, Casino Group reinforces its omnichannel distribution strategy and gets even closer to its customers and their needs,” said Jean-Charles Naouri, Chairman and CEO of Casino Group.

“This commercial partnership is a new milestone in Casino Group strategy to innovate ever more for tomorrow’s urban commerce.”

“Monoprix further differentiates and increases its unique position as urban omnichannel leader. Monoprix will benefit from the most comprehensive grocery delivery service in Paris,” adds Régis Schultz, Chairman of Monoprix.

All Prime members can download the Prime Now app, available on iOS and Android devices, or visit www.primenow.fr to find eligible delivery postcodes, place orders and track the status of their delivery in real time or request notification when the service is available in their area.

“This commercial partnership, which further enlarges Prime Now service selection, will enable Amazon Prime customers to benefit from ultra-fast deliveries for their Monoprix orders,” says Frédéric Duval.

Earlier this year, French retail giant Carrefour also stated its intention to become a food e-commerce leader as part of a €2.8 million investment package in digital by 2022.

Elsewhere in Europe, Amazon has also been disrupting traditional retail markets in Germany with its entrance into the country, through Amazon Fresh, last year. The service, which uses DHL as the logistical partner, started offering around 85,000 items in the cities of Berlin and Potsdam to distribution being expanded around Germany.