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Last week, French retailer Auchan opened its first discount hypermarket, dubbed Prixbas, in the eastern French city of Mulhouse.

The 8,700m2 store, converted from a struggling Auchan, offers a wide selection of food items that are up to 30 per cent cheaper than elsewhere, according to Agence France-Presse.

A sign inside declares: 'Ici, pas de publicité, tout est dans les prix'. 'Here there is no advertising, everything is in the price'.

Although Auchan's management has assured that no redundancies were necessary for the conversion, with around 30 employees moving to other sites, trade unions fear that similar conversions may be on the horizon and lead to a diminishment of workers' rights.