The threat presented by Amazon’s possible entry into the European food retail market has prompted French retailer Leclerc to consider setting up a food delivery service in Paris, according to Reuters.
Chief executive Michel-Edouard Leclerc told RMC Radio and BFM TV: “We will, before the end of this spring, launch a home delivery service in Paris. We, the former provincial grocers, we will take on the Amazon challenge in the most expensive French city.”
Amazon’s 2017 purchase of Whole Foods in the US has fed speculation that the technology firm might next target the European supermarket sector. The company has offered its Amazon Prime Now express delivery service in Paris since 2016 and, according to Leclerc, approached the retailer concerning a possible logistics partnership in October.
Leclerc’s new service will reportedly be dubbed ‘Leclerc Chez Moi’ and will offer food products at 15-20 per cent below the price of its competitors.
However, Leclerc is not the only French retailer making noise about its future delivery efforts. Casino’s Monoprix chain was reported by retail news site LSA as being in advanced talks with Amazon to join its Prime Now service, though the company declined to comment.
Meanwhile, Carrefour has revealed plans to boost its investment in e-commerce, with plans to seek a partnership in China with Tencent. The retailer has also signed a deal with a unit of France’s post office, La Poste, in order to expand its one-hour Livraison Express service beyond Paris to ten new cities in 2018.
