E.Leclerc (informally simply Leclerc, French pronunciation: [ləklɛʁ]) is a French retailers' cooperative and hypermarket chain, headquartered in Ivry-sur-Seine.[2] E.Leclerc was established on 1 January 1948 by Édouard Leclerc in Brittany.[3][4] E.Leclerc currently has more than 720 locations in France and 85 stores outside of the country, as of 2019.[3] The chain enables semi-independent stores to operate under the Leclerc brand.

E.Leclerc
Company typePrivate, cooperative
IndustryRetail
Founded1948; 76 years ago (1948)
FounderÉdouard Leclerc
Headquarters,
France
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Michel Édouard Leclerc (President)
ProductsHypermarket, supermarket, supercenter, superstore, discount store
RevenueIncreaseUS$ 56.87 billion (2019)[1]
Number of employees
133,000 (2019)
Websitee.leclerc
Recently built E.Leclerc in Avermes, France

Own brand ranges come under the Marque Repère and Eco banners, as well as a MVNO called Réglo Mobile which uses the mobile network of SFR. Some larger hypermarkets have a separate entertainment/multimedia section, under the name of Espace Culturel. E.Leclerc operates numerous stores and services around France, some near and in cities and towns while most of them are located just outside or in the hypermarkets and shopping centres.

History

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In 1949, Édouard Leclerc opened his first store, in Landerneau, in Brittany,[5] on the same model as the self-service grocery store invented by Félix Potin in 1844.[6] Subsequently, in the 1950s, a new brand called E.Leclerc clothing opens its doors and the sixtieth E.Leclerc center also opens its doors in Issy-les-Moulineaux by Jean-Pierre Le Roch. In 1962, the E.Leclerc Centers Purchasing Group (GALEC) was created.[7] In 1964, the Landerneau store expanded, becoming the first E.Leclerc hypermarket. From 1969, 75 centers withdrew to form the future Intermarché.[8][9] Over the years, several spaces were founded such as Le Manège à Bijoux in 1986, E.Leclerc Voyages in 1987, L'auto E.Leclerc in 1988 and the Parapharmacy E.Leclerc in 1988 after the end of the pharmacists' monopoly on sales. parapharmacy products. In 1973, Édouard Leclerc invented the concept of wine fairs, which he launched in his supermarkets.[10]

In 1991, E.Leclerc launched a first-price range and created the Tissaia brand, the first E.Leclerc clothing brand. In 1992, he opened his first store in Pamplona in Spain and began to expand in Europe. The first E.Leclerc Cultural Center opened its doors in 1994. Leclerc opened its first store in Warsaw, Poland. E.Leclerc stopped distributing disposable plastic bags in 1996. The Repère brand was launched for the first time in 1997 by the brand. The following year, opening of the first E.Leclerc perfumery "One hour for oneself". During 1998, E.Leclerc and the Système U group joined forces and created a common purchasing center called "Lucie". The agreement would last only three years. Only the fuel purchase activity survived and the entity was renamed "Synergie" without publicity.[11]

Leclerc stores

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As of 2019, there were 721 E.Leclerc stores in France, along with 690 DRIVE stores. There were 83 stores outside of France.[12] Leclerc stores are also present in Poland, Portugal, Spain, Réunion, Andorra, Slovenia and Wallis and Futuna.

References

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  1. ^ "Top 50 Global Retailers 2020". nrf.com. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Conditions Générales d'Utilisation." E.Leclerc. Retrieved on 1 May 2011. "26, quai Marcel Boyer 94 200 Ivry-sur-Seine"
  3. ^ a b "Leclerc supermarket founder dies at 85". The Local. 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
  4. ^ "Édouard Leclerc est décédé". Le Figaro. 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
  5. ^ vidéo: L'Ouest en mémoire (Ina) - L'aventure d'Edouard Leclerc 1959, reportage réalisé à Landerneau en 1959.
  6. ^ Gérard Cliquet (2007). Recherches sur la distribution moderne. L'univers du livre. p. 6. ISBN 9789973786890..
  7. ^ "- E. Leclerc Histoire et Archives". www.histoireetarchives.leclerc. Retrieved 2021-05-09..
  8. ^ Conso, L. S. A. (15 September 2019). "15 septembre 1969: ce jour qui lança le Groupement des Mousquetaires". lsa-conso.fr (in French). Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  9. ^ Conso, L. S. A. (24 October 2013). "55 ans du supermarché: Les dates clés". lsa-conso.fr (in French). Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  10. ^ « Les foires aux vins ont anobli notre profession », challenges.fr, 16 septembre 2014.
  11. ^ Frédéric Carluer-Lossouarn, Lucie aurait 10 ans : retour sur un fiasco, Linéaires, No. 239, septembre 2008, p. 33.
  12. ^ Conso, L. S. A. (11 February 2020). "Beau bilan 2019 pour E.Leclerc avec des hypers en pleine forme".
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