Guillaume Darrasse, former deputy general manager of Système U and Teract in particular, has been appointed president of Auchan in France, a position for which the former boss of Système U Serge Papin had been approached, the northern distributor announced on Friday.
He is also appointed Deputy Managing Director of Auchan International.
The day before, Teract (Gamm Vert, Jardiland, Boulangeries Louise), resulting from the merger between the distribution activity of the union of agricultural cooperatives InVivo and an investment vehicle launched by businessmen Xavier Niel, Matthieu Pigasse and Moez-Alexandre Zouari, had announced his departure.
Former head of the food import activity at E.Leclerc and creator of a purchasing center common to the E.Leclerc and Système U groups, he was for a time
“mission manager”
at Casino before becoming deputy general manager of Système U, then general manager of InVivo Retail from 2018 and deputy general manager of Teract since 2022, recalls Auchan.
Yves Claude, the CEO of Auchan
“asked Guillaume Darrasse to join him, in the coming weeks, as deputy general manager of Auchan Retail”
, to
“reflect on the evolution of the organization of certain central functions, to the revitalization of commercial activity and the evolution of the offer offered to customers
,” according to a press release on Friday.
Guillaume Darrasse also takes over as president of Auchan Retail France, a position previously held by Yves Claude, specifies Auchan.
Read alsoCasino: 288 super and hypermarkets will be sold to Auchan and Intermarché
Auchan is trying to renew itself
The position of president of Auchan France seemed a few weeks ago still promised to the former boss of Système U Serge Papin, who had been appointed administrator of the Mulliez galaxy group in December 2022. Asked in December about this possibility, at the day before a general meeting of shareholders of the Mulliez family which owns Auchan, Serge Papin responded on BFM Business that it was a
“possibility”
.
In its press release, Auchan also announces the departure of Philippe Brochard, the current general director of Auchan France, to whom
"it was proposed (...) to take his full part in these transformations"
but who wished
" leave the company
.
Auchan, the 5th largest food distributor in France (behind E.Leclerc, Carrefour, Intermarché and Système U), has engaged in recent weeks in a long-term alliance project with Intermarché in purchasing, and in acquisition of 98 stores from struggling competitor Casino.