Carrefour has teamed up with Google to boost its online business in France in what the retailer says is the first time fresh food will be marketed through the internet giant’s platforms.
From early 2019, French shoppers will be able to buy Carrefour groceries through Google’s new dedicated shopping site in France, or through Google-operated systems such as connected speakers and voice-assisted devices.
Carrefour is the latest French retailer to boost its online offering. In March, Casino announced a deal to sell products from its upmarket Monoprix stores through Amazon Prime in the Paris area. Casino also has a home delivery partnership with UK online retailer Ocado.
Carrefour’s CEO Alexandre Bompard has said he is committed to becoming a leader in grocery e-commerce and reducing the company’s dependence on bricks and mortar stores.
“This deal is a transformative measure for Carrefour to become the leader in grocery e-commerce, which is the first pillar of the turnaround plan announced in January,” said Marie Cheval, the company’s head of digital transformation. “This is the first time groceries will be sold through Google’s interfaces in France - and the first time for fresh food in the world.”
Carrefour will also adopt Google tools such as Gmail for more than 160,000 of its staff, the retailer said. The tech company will provide digital training for more than 1,000 employees over the next six months to help prepare for the switch.
