French retailer Casino plans to open a further 300 convenience stores to tap into growing customer demand for proximity, its boss told the Le Figaro newspaper.
"The future of food retailing is to be as close as possible to clients. This is why we are going to open nearly 300 convenience stores by next year," chairman and CEO Jean-Charles Naouri said, pointing to a strong performance since France started easing its eight-week lockdown on 11 May.
'Very Good Activity'
"The end of lockdown confirmed very good activity at proximity stores, supermarkets and e-commerce ... In contrast, hypermarket sales remain in clear decline," he added.
Casino last month said that revenue growth accelerated in the first quarter to 6.4%, reflecting strong food sales in its core French market during the coronavirus lockdown.
