A novice of giant stature.
The American e-commerce champion, Amazon (9 billion euros in turnover in France in 2021), will tread the ground of the great Parisian agricultural fair for the first time.
Surprising for a merchant whose roots are more in the online sale of books and high-tech services than in the French countryside.
Especially since distributors like Auchan, Intermarché or Carrefour have deserted the Porte de Versailles in recent years.
Among them, Lidl, which will sign its eighth participation in the show this year, is an exception.
“This presence is the logical continuation of our commitment for twenty years with French VSEs and SMEs,
justifies Patrick Labarre, general manager of the Amazon market place in France.
Since 2018, we have opened a shop for producers (cheese makers, butchers, winegrowers, etc.) which promotes local food products in France and around the world.
While consumers are very demanding of short circuits, this makes it possible to bring producers closer to consumers via digital technology.”
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With 400 producers gathered on its shop in four years, the group's marketplace offers around 13,000 food and agricultural products "made in France".
During the show, it will welcome ten of these vendors to its stand in hall 2, and will organize tastings.
"It's an opportunity for them to develop their business and meet consumers
," adds the leader.
Auchan Tour
Food distributors had a rather chaotic history at the show.
When he arrived in 2015, Lidl, the German king of hard-discount, eager to promote his “made in France” products, had been somewhat heckled.
Several groups of farmers accused him of being one of the people responsible for the pressures on farmers' incomes.
Eight years - and two EGalim laws - later, Lidl has restored its image.
The German group is recognized for its links and its actions in favor of upstream agriculture.
Carrefour left the aisles of the show almost ten years ago.
As for Auchan, the cancellation of the event in 2021, due to the health crisis, prompted it to find other ways to strengthen its ties with the agricultural world.
The distributor embarked on an Auchan Tour two years ago, with success.
From now on, rather than taking root at Porte de Versailles, the brand prefers to meet farmers with buses that crisscross France, in which its employees are also in contact with its customers.
