Auchan
Auchan (French pronunciation: [oʃɑ̃]) is a French multinational retail group headquartered in Croix, France. It was founded in 1961 by Gérard Mulliez and is owned by the Mulliez family, who has 95% stake in the company. With 354,851 employees, of which 261,000 have 5% stake in the company, it is the 35th largest employer in the world.
| Company type | Private company, SA |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 3 January 1997 |
| Founder | Gérard Mulliez |
| Headquarters | , France |
Number of locations | 2,101 points of sale (2022) |
Area served | France, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia |
Key people | Edgard Bonte (Chairman) |
| Products | Hypermarket, Supermarket, Convenience store |
| Revenue | |
| €1.6 billion (2020) | |
| €708 million (2020) | |
| Total assets | €1.169 billion (2020) |
| Total equity | €6.704 billion (2020) |
Number of employees |
|
| Parent | ELO |
| Website | auchan-retail.com |
The name comes from the first Auchan shop in Roubaix in the district of Hauts-Champs, the pronunciation of which is identical to that of "Auchan".
The holding company, Auchan Holding, includes Auchan Retail International, Ceetrus, which operates shopping centers and Oney, which offers financial services. It operates as Alcampo in Spain ("al campo" is the literal Spanish translation of the French "au champ"), Auchan in Portugal, Aшан (Ashan) in Russia and Ukraine, and through a joint-venture as RT-Mart in China (Auchan brand is also used) and Taiwan.
As of 2022, Auchan is one of the world's largest retailers with a direct presence in France, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Taiwan and Senegal. In 2022, the company's revenue in Russia amounted to 237 billion rubles.
Auchan is a rare example of a Western company continuing to operate in Russia after the country's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as well as actively funding and supporting Russian military effort. Because of that Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention listed the company among International Sponsors of War.