Amazon is making inroads into French food retailing through a partnership with Monoprix, a high-end supermarket chain owned by Groupe Casino, according to Reuters. Monoprix will sell groceries through the Amazon Prime Now app and web site using a dedicated virtual store, with Monoprix employees picking the items in-store and Amazon handling delivery.
The deal only covers Paris and the surrounding suburbs, though the service area could expand in the future, according to Regis Schultz, CEO at Monoprix. The food retailer operates nearly 800 stores in 250 cities, with a focus on fresh and high-quality items similar to Whole Foods.
The deal complements Casino’s partnership with UK-based Ocado, a service that is better suited to shoppers with larger basket sizes who are interested in next-day delivery. Amazon will provide express delivery to shoppers buying fewer items at once.
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Partnering with Amazon will help Monoprix compete with Leclerc, a French hypermarket chain, which launched its own grocery delivery service on March 26. Additionally, Carrefour is increasing its e-Commerce presence with a 2.8 million Euro investment over the next five years.
Cooperation between Amazon and Casino could extend to Brazil as well, according to Reuters. The retailers are discussing the possibility of a partnership involving Via Varejo SA, the local appliance and electronics unit of Casino.
