The concept has an English name, but it is a phenomenon that is truly French! With its 5113 drives, the Hexagon is the king of the food trade in line, and nothing seems to stop the growth of the market. The latest study from the institute Nielsen reveals that these centres withdrawal of online shopping emerged as early as 2010 are still in full expansion and are still many consumers, despite the crisis, large current of the large-scale distribution. The sales drive recorded an increase of 7% in a year.

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the Results are, with a 7.1% market share of online trading on the total of products of high consumption (PGC), France is champion of Europe, just ahead of the United Kingdom (6.3%), and far ahead of Germany (1,4%), Spain (1%) or even Italy (1.6 per cent). Globally, France ranks in third position, far behind south Korea (20%) and China (18%), well ahead of in regards to the e-commerce. In contrast, the United States and 5.6% of market share of e-commerce are behind the French.

With a 7.1% market share of e-commerce, France is the european champion. The Nielsen Company

analysts Nielsen estimate that the share of online trade in the market of the PGC is not going to stop growing during the coming years in the world, until they reach a value of us $ 400 billion by 2022.

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If this is a global phenomenon, France and its drives are a figure of exception in the international market. In fact, in all other countries, trade online is very largely dominated by the home delivery services. In France, it is the opposite. Eight online purchases in ten are in the drive, which involves the particularity of a market dominated by the large-scale distribution, founder of the famous drives. In France, home delivery represents only 1.4% of the sales of AGC, "while 22.1% of households buy products from every day on the internet to have them delivered to their home," concedes the study. For the drive, the share of households using this concept is 26.7%, more than a quarter of the population.

Unlike other countries, the drive is more developed in France than in the home delivery. The Nielsen Company

The drive has several advantages compared to the home delivery: "the households use the drive almost once a month on average, which corresponds to the major races monthly household", says Daniel Ducrocq, director of the distribution service of the Nielsen. This emphasizes the routine of the drive, and therefore a loyalty more important between the location of the drive and the household. On the contrary, the delivery of PGC is operated on average five times a year, which means purchasing more isolated, less usual. The difference between the drive and the home delivery is also clearly visible in the average basket: where racing drive cost an average of € 68 per basket, home delivery accounting for an average of 42 euros only.

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This French particularity is reflected also on the profile of households lovers of online trading: while users of home delivery are generally profiles young and without children, the drive impresses all families, especially those with young children. Diapers, baby food, toiletries for babies, compotes and yoghurts... the list of flagship products of the drive does not leave any doubt in the matter. Another product of great consumption, has great success in the drive-the power supply for animals, of which 15% of buyers are already doing half of their purchases in e-commerce. "Quite logical, households purchase at the drive of products that keep, complete Daniel Ducrocq, and vice versa, the fresh products such as fruits and vegetables are completely shunned in the e-commerce."

The drives in full expansion

given the success of the drive, the brands of large retailers are constantly innovating in the field to win new households and gain in market share. "In the Face of the very strong competition from players in the marketplace such as Amazon or Groupon, the great distribution is going through a very great crisis in his model and needs to reinvent itself," said Daniel Ducrocq.

While the signs of hard discount (in green) do not have the coast, the areas of "click & drive" is in full expansion. The Nielsen Company

Thus, although the majority of the drives are of the "Click & drive", these spaces with trails for vehicles and terminals removal (3720 in 2019, is now more frequent that the stores formerly known as hard discount), the drive has just put to the onslaught of convenience stores. 74% of the stores are welcoming a new point of withdrawal are as well shops less than 1000 m2, small drives, therefore, which comes to be added the very recent phenomenon of the drives pedestrian. In a few months, no less than 76 drives of this new genre, dedicated to the urban centres (starting in the capital), are open to the interior of the shops already existing, and 28 drives pedestrians as dedicated sites are also open.

Thanks to these new types of drives, the great distribution trying to seduce a public that was gradually abandoned, namely the young and the urban. So far, not sure that the development of the drives can not completely absorb the crisis of the hypermarkets, whose global turnover has fallen by 3.3% between 2010 and 2018. While Carrefour has said its voluntary redundancy plan for 3000 employees, Auchan has announced the sale of 21 sites in France. As for the Casino, after you have enabled it in 2018 an extensive programme of asset disposals, its parent company, Rallye, extremely in debt, has been placed in backup procedure this week. The great distribution is going to have to continue to roll up her sleeves if she doesn't want to sink in the ocean of e-commerce.

Date Of Update: 27 May 2019, 00:00