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Italy
Groupe Auchan has a presence in Italy through 48 wholly-owned Auchan hypermarkets and some 1,500 supermarkets, wholly-owned or franchised, mainly within the Sma, Cityper and Simply Market chains.
The stores implement a strong discount policy: low-cost product ranges strengthened, reduction of sales prices, creation of "self-discount" sections in the hypermarkets, testing of the Simply Market discount supermarket chain...
The chains also offer a wide selection of "Sma Auchan" products and products from the agricultural supply lines.
Banque Accord has created the subsidiary Accord Italia. It offers classical credit, personal loans and has launched its own Mastercard.
The shopping centre activity is developed through G.C.I., a joint holding of Immochan and Simon Property Group. It manages more than 2,000 stores in shopping centres, with more than 470,000 m² of rented shop space.
In Italy, the supermarket division has some 1,600 outlets, of which about some 300 are wholly-owned and more than 1,300 as franchises or associated stores.
They are distributed across the chains Sma (600 to 2,500 m² of sales area), Cityper (2,000 to 5,000 m²) and Punto Sma (300 to 600 m²).
Since 2005, Sma is also developing the new Simply Market discount supermarket format.
Key dates
1989 Opening of first Auchan hypermarket.
1997 The chain establishes an association with the IFIL group, owner of La Rinascente, the leading Italian retail group. The supermarket activity is developed under the Sma and Cityper chains.
2002 Auchan increases its holding in Eurofind from 49 to 50%, parity holding with IFIL: the holding makes a take-over bid on La Rinascente. Banque Accord creates the Accord Italia subsidiary, in partnership with Agos Itafinco, a subsidiary of Sofinco.
2003 The company "Gallerie Commerciali Italia SpA" (G.C.I.), a shopping-centre operator, is created: 51% is held by La Rinascente group and 51% by Simon Property Group.
2004 IFIL sells all of its food and La Rinascente shopping centre activities to Groupe Auchan. Accord Italia launches the Auchan Mastercard.
2005 The textile and DIY activities are sold. Development of a new discount supermarket : Simply Market.
2006 The employee share ownership scheme is launched in the hypermarkets division.
2007 Auchan signed a agreement with Az SpA, to operate franchised hypermarkets in the Calabria region. This partnership will last 9 years and will involve three existing hypermarkets and the construction of three more hypermarkets, in 2007-2008.
2008 Opening of 2 hypermarkets in Antegnate (Bergame) and Triggiano (Bari). Simply Market operates 230 supermarkets.