Roma Fiumicino (Italy) The Competition According to Auchan

Italian contributor, Antonello Vilardi, reports on another hypermarket in Italy.

By Antonello Vilardi – Italy - Retail Watch

Although its location is close to the airport of FIUMICINO (ROME) and therefore consistently “going,” the hypermarket has been structured to accomodate traditional users in the various income variants in order to attract and inspire loyalty.

The store is about 8,000 square meters in size with 34 cash desks of which self are in self-scanning mode and two separate inputs located at the ends of the long cashier barrier to favor, on the basis of consumer preferences, a visit with initial impact entrusted to fresh or to institutional items of non-food promotion. 

As proposed stimulates the desire to deepen the theme of “convenience.”

Literaly, the French company states it: “…convenience means not only spending less, but also saving time, reducing problems and not living up the quality and comfort of life”.

Lastly, the message has an eloquent synthesis:”With us you are safe!” and develops in detail through six points, particularly significant:

1. SAFE QUALITY. We strive to ensure quality and safety through a careful and rigorous selection of suppliers, products and ongoing training of our staff. Every year, through accredited laboratories, we carry out the necessary checks on our products and verifications at the factories of our suppliers and in our departments;
2. SAFE TO BE SATISFIED OR REMOVED. We are so sure of the quality of our branded products that, if you do not have to be satisfied, we will refund you the price paid; 
3. SAFE TO POTTERS. If you do not have to be fully satisfied with your purchase, you have 15 days to change your mind. It’s easy: just bring the receipt, the packing and the accessories at the time of purchase. Products with faults that are subject to a legal warranty are excluded, and some items that can not be returned;
4. SAFE TO PAY THE RIGHT PRICE. If on your receipt, an item has a higher amount than the one shown, we will refund you twice the price difference;
5. SAFE TO PAY THE BEST PRICE. If you bought a product here and within 15 kilometers, find the same product at a lower price, we will refund the difference (promotions are excluded);
6. SURE TO BE CHALLENGED. If you have any advice, concerns, comments or anything else to tell, please write to “CLIENT’S VOICE” or contact us at www.auchan.com or at 800 896 996. Please allow us to continue improving and we are committed to respond within 3 days.

As a retailer pursues the precise goal of ensuring arithmetic convenience to his client, he is well-versed: he will laboriously engage in continuous competition, “cents of cents”, on the squares where he works, educating the consumer to become a sort of “opportunity predator”, therefore feeding the insane alteration of real values.

In this European case, now examined, the convenience is based on the “safety” of having entrusted the “right retailer”, who is formally obliged to guarantee objective quality in what he sells (especially if packaging appears its name), the retailer that makes it possible to go wrong and then go back, the retailer that sells at the right price, wich is also the most competitive in the area, the retailer who listens and shows it because have to respond relatively quickly (within 3 days).